Lin Miao realized that the Young Master’s mother wasn’t referring to godmothers when she brought up the topic. She knew what dowry was.
Lin Miao remembered a similar situation in her village: it happened to Little Ling, the youngest girl who went to pick firewood with Lin Miao
Little Ling’s Second Uncle didn’t have any children so she was given to him by people in the neighbouring village. She couldn’t call her birth parents “mother” and “father”. She had to call them Third Aunt and Third Uncle, and address Second Uncle and Second Aunt “father” and “mother” instead. Little Ling wasn’t allowed to return to the neighbouring village either. Everyone in Lin Miao’s village said that Second Uncle and Aunt were very kind to her, that they would prepare her dowry for her, and that Little Ling in return has to take care of Second Uncle and Aunt when they age and retire...
But Little Ling told Lin Miao in private that she hated Second Uncle’s family because they gave birth to a younger brother who frequently hit her. He would even hit Lin Miao too. Little Ling said her happiest time of the day was going out to pick firewood with her. She said she was fine with taking care of Second Uncle and Aunt, but she didn’t want the dowry, and that she just wanted to return home...
The adults didn’t allow her to go back and instead told her to take care of her younger brother and promised to prepare dowry for her. Little Ling sincerely told the other girls who went with Lin Miao that she just wanted to return home because she wouldn’t be bullied there...
So, when Lin Miao heard the word “dowry” from the mother, her mind halted and her nose suddenly felt sour. Tears uncontrollably started to flow down her cheeks.
Was she becoming Little Ling?
Could she not call her parents “mother” and “father” anymore?
Could she not return home? Is she stuck here? Even during the New Year?
Lin Miao panicked. She had never been so scared, it was more terrifying than being kidnapped.
She had never been away from her home for so long. The longest she had been away before were during the hours of school in the town. She had been yearning to return during the New Year. But now, they were suddenly demanding her to see them as their new parents, making it impossible for her to go home in the New Year. So, Lin Miao’s emotions spilled out all at once.
The adults, who were smiling, were shocked by Lin Miao. “What’s wrong?”
Lin Miao thought that it was punishment for mistreating the Young Master.
Because she had made his life miserable by running around under the sun and letting him catch the winds.
But, but… she couldn’t think of any alternatives back then.
Lin Miao felt worse the more she thought. She wanted to explain and promise that she would never create hardships for the Young Master again...
But she was so sad that she couldn’t say a single word.
The mother was frightened, “It’s okay, it’s okay, go on, say whatever you need to, don’t be afraid…”
Lin Miao was finally able to stop. She spoke, sobbing, “From now… on… I will… take care… of… my… older brother… and… I will take… care… of you too… I… don’t… want the… dowry.”
The Young Master’s parents thought that she would accept, filled with joy. She wouldn’t have to return to her remote village and she would be treated with beautiful clothes and delicious dishes. Don’t all kids love these things?
Especially the Young Master’s mother. She already felt that they owed this child, so she tried to comfort Lin Miao, “Shuishui, don’t be worried, speak slowly, don’t cry, there’s no need to cry.”
She then signaled her husband to bring the Young Master over.
The two were obviously able to see that the two had a nice relationship.
Lin Miao could only cough. She wanted to make a promise to them, but the more she wanted to say, the harder it became for her to speak.
Luckily, the Young Master arrived.
“Shuishui, your brother’s here.” The father said.
Even though the Young Master was used to the outdated methods of the two adults, he was still distressed and angry seeing Lin Miao crying like this.
The anger was directed at the two adults and the distress was for Lin Miao.
“Shuishui, don’t listen to their nonsense. I’ll call the village head, you’ll be back there for the new year, don’t listen to them.” The Young Master pulled out his phone.
On the way down the stairs, his father told him that Lin Miao mysteriously started crying when they told her that they were planning to adopt her.
They didn’t know, but he did. Lin Miao longed to return home everyday.
As expected, Lin Miao swallowed again upon hearing returning home for the New Year. She began to speak again, stuttering, “But… I can’t… call… my parents… mother… and father…:
“No, don’t listen to them. You only have one mother and father, which are your parents in the village.” The Young Master wiped her tears. Her little face was all red, looking pitiful.
The Young Master’s parents didn’t expect this situation, they felt extremely awkward. However, it was also them who made Lin Miao cry, so they quickly supported the Young Master. “Mm yes, Shuishui only has one mother and one father.”
Having received a promise from the adults, Lin Miao felt relieved. Then, she realized that she had cried in front of so many people. She felt incredibly embarrassed, so she cleaned her face and bowed to the Young Master’s parents. “From now on… I pledge to… take good care… of my brother.”
The Young Master patted her head, complimenting her, “You’ve already done a great job, even better than the doctor.”
And then he pulled on her hand, “Let’s go call the village head.”
Lin Miao immediately followed upon hearing this.
She actually felt better after crying, especially since she had so much emotion buried under her heart. It cleared herself of all her negativity.
It was another sunny day. The Young Master wanted to go to the garden to make the call. Lin Miao was a bit worried, “Gege, are you sure you’re fine from the wind?”
“Yeah, Gege's health is great.” The Young Master lifted Lin Miao up to prove that he was really fine.
Of course, at his age, he wasn’t able to give her a princess carry. It was more like pulling out a radish; just high enough to raise her feet off the ground.
Lin Miao immediately started laughing because her brother had grabbed her around her ticklish waist as he lifted her up like pulling out a radish, “Gege, Gege, let me down…”
Once the Young Master dropped her down, Lin Miao also “pulled a radish” like her brother. She said enthusiastically, “Gege, I can also lift you up!”
The Young Master after the tables turned: “...”
The two happily went out under the grape rack in the garden. Lin Miao has memorized the village head’s number already.
The Young Master dialed the number.
Someone picked up the phone after two rings.
“Hello?”
Lin Miao immediately recognized that it was Little Mei’s voice.
“Little Mei, it’s Shuishui.”
“Oh, Shuishui, when are you coming back? We all miss you so much, wait, lemme call Little Ling and Little Pang! They heard that you called back last time, and they told me many times to remind them when you call again.” Little Mei was very excited.
“I will return during the New Year.” Lin Miao asked a question, “Did my mother return?”
“Uh no, I heard my dad say that they were in town. My dad said that your parents made a lot of money so they might not return.” Little Mei remembered what her father said. Her father met Lin Miao’s parents when he headed to town. After returning, Little Mei’s father said to her mother that Lin Miao’s parents were working their butts off. Her father even got a job as a labour contractor. Little Mei’s father was still contemplating why Lin Miao’s family didn’t send their son to school there with that much money...
Little Mei was making a meal while her dad talked with Lin Miao’s father. From that, she made out that they would never return after making a lot of money.
Lin Miao was stunned, her parents were probably not going to return but she still wants to go back to play with everyone else. She wanted to see Weifeng, the old granny at the gate of the village who often gave her biscuits, and the pear tree in her yard which was probably full of pears...
Hearing this, the Young Master felt apprehensive, he was worried that Lin Miao might cry.
And then he heard Lin Miao reply, “Are they really not going back? Then uh, Little Mei, remember to check the pears and grapefruit in my yard, don’t let the birds ruin it. If no one returns, you guys can have it.”
Over on the other side, Little Mei smilingly accepted. She then asked Lin Miao, “Shuishui, is it fun working outside?”
The Young Master saw that Lin Miao was quite impacted by the absence of her parents, so he shook his hand towards Lin Miao and mouthed “study well.”
Lin Miao saw the Young Master and responded accordingly, “No, it’s no fun. Little Mei, make sure to study well.”
All of the older people who travelled out to seek jobs said that to them.
“What do you do everyday?” Little Mei asked.
Lin Miao blinked and realized that she didn’t really have anything to do. Her brother didn’t need to be infused anymore, so she didn’t need to watch the infusion bottle to prevent it from sucking in his blood.
The two hung up the phone, still sitting under the grape rack. Lin Miao was a bit anxious. She sighed, “My mom said that it would be easier for me to attend school if we moved to town, but I don’t want to go there at all… I wonder if my brother is feeling better…”
The Young Master noticed that Lin Miao’s initial reaction upon hearing all the things in the call was about her family moving, and not about her mother not caring about her anymore.
The Young Master looked at her. Something known as pity seemed to appear in his heart. Never before had he wished for the New Year to never come.
Lin Miao was happy despite learning that her family was moving. She could still call her parents “mom” and “dad”, and could still return for the New Year.
On the other side, the grandma also heard the scene that occurred with adoption. She pressed her temples as she watched the two children in the garden.
She still felt unrested recalling what the Master told her, especially after picturing how sad she would be when being told that she couldn’t return home.
After some hesitation, she still decided to call.
God blessed them by having survived the kidnapping which was being called a miracle by many. Having only a part of their team arrested, it was certain the remaining kidnappers were going to kill them. The Young Master was also able to escape and survive out in the rain for two days.
To protect Lin Miao from being exposed by the media, the Young Master’s family never said that Lin Miao was also kidnapped.
However, everyone in the Yu family knew that Lin Miao was the saving grace. If it wasn’t for her, the Young Master would’ve never been able to escape the dirt hut with the dog guarding it; he would’ve been thrown in the reservoir...
The Young Master’s mother was very ashamed and guilty for scaring Lin Miao into crying. Coupled with the kidnapping, she decided to step out of the entertainment circle, away from the spotlight, and return to live normally. She became even more intimate to Lin Miao.
Lin Miao felt quite uncomfortable at first.
Until the mother brought her to the mall to pick candy for Lin Miao to bring home for the New Year.
The Young Master’s mother held Lin Miao’s hand, and Lin Miao held her brother’s hand. The three happily went to take samples from the various shops.
The Young Master’s mother didn’t put on makeup nor styled her hair. She wore ordinary clothes. Thus, no one paid excessive attention to her.
The three went from door to door, trying all the samples.
Some still recognized her. In response, she just said that it was the wrong person. Without giving an autograph nor a picture, she pulled the two children away.
The mother blinked at the two kids, “Let’s play a game, we sneak away from the next person who recognizes us! Okay?”
Lin Miao loved this type of activity, she felt that it was fun.
The Young Master felt that his mom was being extremely childish.
And then he heard Lin Miao say, “Yes! Yes!”
So he responded, “Okay.”
The two went to the next store and sampled some candies.
“Auntie Yu, try this, it tastes so good!” Lin Miao excitedly passed the fruit candy she tried to the mother.
The Young Master didn’t like candy, but the mother did, so she shared some with the Young Master’s mother.
The mother quickly tried the type of candy Lin Miao suggested, “It does taste super good! Shuishui, do you want this? I feel like it’s the best one we’ve had so far!”
Previously having to keep her body in shape, she would have never even thought about eating these candies!
Once she started, it felt a bit hard to stop!
Lin Miao nodded, and then looked at the price, “125.”
Lin Miao looked at her fingers. She couldn’t quite find the answer so she took out two hundred dollars and asked her brother, “How much can I buy with two hundred dollars?”
From the five hundred her mother had given her, fifty was spent on the hospital, and the robbers took another two hundred and fifty, leaving her with two hundred dollars.
The Young Master realized he was just as clueless. He doesn’t bring nor keep money. He didn’t need it anyway.
The mother paused, “Shuishui, I’ll pay.”
“It’s okay, I have money.” Lin Miao quickly responded.
And then they told the shopkeeper to weigh two hundred dollars worth of candy. Lin Miao fell into contemplation. This little pack was nowhere near enough.
Even though they said her mother wasn’t returning, that would only mean that they were not returning on normal days. Before, when she lived outside the village with her mother, they would still return during the New Year to venerate their ancestors, so she still needed to bring candy back.
After returning home, the Young Master told his parents about Lin Miao’s situation. He was worried about them accidentally doing something wrong when trying to help.
He told them their tradition of returning back to the village for the New Year, how everyone would buy candy for the children in the village, and much more.
The grandma was also there to listen. She sighed after the Young Master finished, “Little Yu, what if Shuishui went back home and never came back here?”
The Young Master froze, speechless.
A few days later, the father called Lin Miao to the study, his face serious.
Lin Miao was a bit scared, she was afraid that she did something wrong. Then, the father handed a thousand dollars to Lin Miao.
Lin Miao was bewildered, “Uncle Yu?”
The father began to explain, “Last time when those kidnappers robbed 250 dollars from you, the police were able to get it back. They also paid 750 in addition.”
Lin Miao blinked and responded enthusiastically, “The police are so nice!”
The father also handed her jade amulet back to her, “And this.”
Lin Miao ran her hand across it, “Hm, I don’t think this is my fish…” Lin Miao’s amulet was fish-shaped. Lin Miao often rubbed it, so she recognized that the texture was different.
“The original one broke, so just wear this.” The father looked serious and protagonistic. His tone sounded very trustworthy.
Lin Miao obediently wore it, she didn’t think much after.
Instead, she was wondering about other things, “Uncle, what will be my job from now on?”
The Young Master didn’t need to get infused anymore, so her original job ended.
The father couldn’t think of anything at the moment, “You get days off at work. Since you worked for four months continuously before, you didn’t get your eight holidays per month, so you can have them now. You would have thirty-two days in total.”
Lin Miao nodded. The father was right, people who worked had breaks.
Walking out of the study, she saw her brother talking to Dahuang, “Dahuang, this is my slipper, don’t play with it, okay?”
“Woof! Woof! Woof!” Dahuang argued back.
“Woof woof woof…” The two puppies followed.
“If you bite my slipper again, you won’t get any meat.” The Young Master threatened, tired mentally and physically.
“Woof woof woof…” Dahuang continued.
“Woof…” The two puppies followed.
Lin Miao rushed towards the Young Master and then saw the Young Master’s broken slipper.
“Gege, could it be that she wants to go outside?” Lin Miao asked.
The Young Master thought the same. Dahuang remained home to recover from her wounds on her neck from last time. The Young Master checked its wounds. It has mostly healed so he searched for its leash. The grandma brought the leash to them and said to the playful children, a bit worried, “Don’t go out of the neighbourhood.”
Assured that his health was perfectly fine, the Young Master followed whatever Lin Miao did. He wasn’t afraid of anything.
“Wait for me!” The Young Master’s mother called.
So it became three people walking the dog together.
The mother thought it would be inconvenient for the two kids to walk the dogs alone, so she decided to walk Dahuang. However, she felt as if her body was breaking from tiredness after running one round with Dahuang.
She realized that she probably won’t get fat ever again...
Since Dahuang still wanted to run, Lin Miao and the Young Master went off with her. The mother stayed back to look after the two puppies.
There were quite a lot of people walking their dogs in the neighbourhood.