Since she didn’t reply to his messages yesterday, Lin Miao received a call from the Young Master in the morning.
“Gege, I’m fine, I’m washing my face right now. We might only be able to return the day after tomorrow.” Lin Miao said, one hand holding her smartphone, the other holding a towel.
The Young Master seemed to still want to say something, so Lin Miao added, “Gege, I have important things to do, I’ll talk to you later.”
The Young Master could only end the call early. “Okay, I’ll call you later then.”
Lin Miao hurriedly washed her face and headed out the door.
Her mother was a bit confused. “Shuishui, it just rained yesterday, are you still going out for a run?”
“Yes mommy, I have some things to do.” Lin Miao responded, a bag in her hand.
Lin Miao’s mother just thought that she was visiting her friends again, so she only reminded her, “Just remember to come back for breakfast soon.”
Lin Miao nodded.
Many were already gathered around the empty room in Little Ling’s house and the broken lock. “Someone must’ve helped her.”
“Told you that it was impossible to familiarize with an adopted child. She just ran away like this after so many years.
“She’d never been out of the village before. She shouldn’t be far from here, let’s go find her.”
Lin Miao clenched her fists. Don’t be afraid, don’t be afraid, you’re an adult now. She thought, and then made her way through the crowd.
The second aunt spotted Lin Miao immediately after she appeared in the front row of people. “Shuishui, did you help break the lock?”
Around her were many families from the surrounding houses.
In them were two men who decided to follow Lin Miao’s father to work outside of the village. They naturally defended Lin Miao, “Didn’t Shuishui just arrive here? She’s just a child, what could she know?”
“It was me.” Lin Miao’s heart drummed. She had been intimidated by adults since her childhood.
At the Young Master’s mansion, she spoke no more than needed to answer the adult’s questions, most of which were from the grandma. The remainder of her time was spent with the Young Master.
She had played with her friends in the village and greeted the adults, but in her heart, she was still scared.
Lin Miao had a fear of the adults in the village.
When she first returned from the town, many villagers joked about her, saying that her family was biased towards daughters and such...
The adults were all shocked when Lin Miao confessed. Second uncle and aunt looked as if steam were spilling out of their ears. However, she wasn’t their child after all. Under most circumstances, it was inappropriate to beat someone else’s child in the village.
Sometimes when kids argue with each other, the parents would slap their own children even if they blamed the cause on the other side in their hearts. It was a way of saving face and releasing anger.
The second uncle asked, “Shuishui, where did Little Ling go?”
A person there sensed disaster looming high above them, so they snuck away to call Lin Miao’s father.
In everyone’s eyes, they didn’t think Lin Miao was capable of much.
Lin Miao’s heart was beating rapidly, even faster than her heart rate at international competitions. However, she had to remain calm, or at least act like she was.
“Little Ling’s gone, I’m not telling where she went.” Lin Miao said.
Her boldness startled the remaining adults. They all tried to contain the scene, “Shuishui, don’t be so immature.”
“Apologize to your second uncle and aunt.”
“Second uncle and auntie, I’m here to take Little Ling’s ID card and registration papers.” Lin Miao said, “Don’t bother her again in the future.”
The couple were struggling to keep themselves from Lin Miao. How could they give her such papers?
Lin Miao wasn’t in a rush. She simply took out her plastic bag with the money she got from the bank. “I heard your conversation yesterday. You want to use Little Ling to get money for her younger brother’s future marriage.”
The spectators didn’t anticipate her to have so much money. Thinking it through once again, they all thought she stole from her parents. “Shuishui, did you get this from your dad? Give it back to him, or else he’ll punish you.”
Lin Miao ignored the comments and continued talking to the second uncle and aunt, “Regardless, I’m not telling you where Little Ling is. You can’t do anything to me anyway. I’m not afraid even if the police come.” In reality, she was afraid, but she couldn’t say that.
“Shuishui, are you crazy?” Second aunt exclaimed.
“There’s thirty-three thousand in here, thirty thousand of which is for the betrothal gift you mentioned yesterday. The other three thousand is for when you took Little Ling. You only have two options: don’t give me the papers and I don’t tell or give you anything, or give me the papers, leave Little Ling alone, and I’ll give you the money.
Money was important to her. Lin Miao only purchased things when absolutely necessary.
However, she wasn’t regretful at all.
She could earn back the money, but this situation concerned the rest of Little Ling’s life.
She hoped for Little Ling to live a life out in public, free of terror from her family taking her back.
She felt a bit more relaxed after saying everything.
Her mother had taught her from her childhood that she must take responsibility for all her actions.
Since she had let Little Ling escape, she had to face all the consequences.
The other adults were still in shock. “Shuishui, it's your parents’ money and not yours to spend. Tell us where Little Ling is.”
“Even if you beat me, I won’t say anything. This is final.” Lin Miao said, shrugging and realizing the situation wasn't as bad as she had imagined it to be.
A light appeared in the second aunt’s eyes. “You sure had a great plan. You’d have the papers, and then your parents will come to take the money back.”
“Actually, you won’t have an option when my parents arrive.” An idea came to Lin Miao. “You still wouldn’t be able to beat me, and then I’d be back in the city with my parents. The most I’d get is a beating from my parents, which I’m not scared of. Same thing goes if my parents ask about the money and I admit that I’m the one who stole and gave it away. We’re leaving this afternoon, so they can’t do anything if you don’t give them the money.”
The second uncle gritted his teeth. She had a point. The most this daughter from the Lin family would get was a good beating. There was no way to force it out of her.
“Fine, I’ll give the papers to you.” The second uncle said after some thought.
Now they had money.
“And Little Ling’s clothing and such.” Lin Miao said, “The dowry too.”
Little Ling had few things. Second aunt quickly wrapped all the stuff and brought it outside.
Lin Miao checked the items, stating her demands again as she held onto the money bag, “Since there are so many people here to act as witnesses, you have to act as if this daughter of yours got married out. You can’t send anyone to check on her, nor trouble her and ask her to pay money back.”
“How do you have so many things to say!” Second aunt couldn’t wait to grab hold of the bag of money.
“You have to agree.” Lin Miao said.
The adults were in disbelief. Lin Miao negotiating this was the last thing they expected.
They were suddenly all interrupted with a voice from outside the crowd. “Wait.”
They then saw Lin Miao’s parents, who had just hurried over.
The second uncle and aunt froze, the rage filling them again. They prepared to snatch the money in Lin Miao’s hands.
If Lin Miao succumbed to her opponents so easily, she would never have been called a genius by her coach.
She turned swifty, dodging the hand.
Seeing her mother and father, Lin Miao lowered her head. She had planned to endure the punishments once her parents found out.
Little Ling had successfully escaped. She could leave today, and they’d never be able to find her.
However, Lin Miao felt very uncomfortable...
How will she live in the future? Little Ling might have to live forever in fear of being brought back to the village.
Others may comment that she was ungrateful, running away from her family after they had spent so many years raising her up...
Lin Miao thought for a moment. All the situations she envisioned were painful, the type of pain that is trapped in your heart.
She wanted to cut the ties between both parties.
Lin Miao spoke quietly, her head low, “Mommy, I’ll tell you when we get back, you can punish me however you want…”
Lin Miao’s mother sighed, “Second younger brother, second younger sister, our Shuishui is still immature. Sorry for inconveniencing you.”
Everyone in the village referred to each other as brothers and sisters even though they weren’t related by blood.
Second aunt was so mad that her face began to deform. Thirty-three grand, three thousand more than what they had expected.
“You say it so simply. She abducted my daughter, and one sentence from you can solve everything?” She thought that Lin Miao’s parents weren’t going to give them as much money.
“Didn’t my daughter already negotiate and come up with a solution?” Lin Miao’s father said.
Everyone was shocked, including the village head who had followed Lin Miao’s parents to the crowd.
As a grown man, Lin Miao’s father had much more respect than Lin Miao.
“However, you have to promise in front of the village head.” Lin Miao’s father knew this was useless legally, but it was commonly accepted in the village.
“It’s unreasonable for you guys to get the money from us, catch her, and get more money from her marriage.”
Second uncle and aunt were in disbelief. They didn’t expect to actually get the money.
They quickly signed the oath.
When it was over, Lin Miao walked out and stood next to her parents with the promise and Little Ling’s belongings.
The calm girl now looked a bit afraid. She spoke quietly, “I’m sorry…”
Lin Miao’s mother looked at her, “What did you do wrong for you to apologize?”
Lin Miao didn’t think she did anything wrong, but she knew that some things just appeared to be wrong in front of adults.
“I should’ve not secretly let Little Ling out…”
“Overall, it’s not considered wrong.” Lin Miao’s father said, turning his head around.
Lin Miao was surprised. She thought the adults all thought that she had many problems, but her father’s words caused her to lift her head up again. “Huh?!”
“Think again, what did you do wrong?”
“I should’ve told you… And not have left myself…” Lin Miao reacted quite quickly.
“As long as you know.” Lin Miao’s mother sighed. “Using money to trade isn’t necessarily considered wrong.”
The village head beside them: “...”
Lin Miao realized that her parents were aligned with her!
She felt so excited and moved!
When Lin Miao finally called the Young Master in the afternoon, he still didn’t know what Lin Miao had done in the morning.
SInce she was lectured by her parents on the way down the mountain, Lin Miao still felt that she was inconsiderate when doing things. She was too embarrassed to tell her older brother the story.