119. A Pause at the Banquet, Jiang Min

The little boy with the plump cheeks clutched a meaty bone in both hands and gnawed on it, his mouth shining with grease.

“Mm-hmm, eat slowly,” his mother said gently, wiping the oil from his lips.

Another eight-year-old boy cried out, “I want a meat bone too!”

“Of course, I’ll give you one. Here, eat up.” His mother quickly picked out a large bone and placed it in his bowl. Their family life was still passable, but they could not eat meat every day. This rare treat at her cousin’s house was naturally the perfect chance to let her precious son have his fill.

At the dinner table, the men were seated off to one side. Some liquor had been poured, and a few drinks were only natural. The two mothers were busy tending to their sons, while Jing Qingxin sat beside her godmother, eating and chatting. Across the whole table, the only one who seemed left out was Jiang Feng’s eldest daughter, Jiang Min.

As she ate, Jiang Min secretly studied Jing Qingxin, who sat across from her mother. Seeing her smiling and chatting with her aunt as though they were on very intimate terms, Jiang Min’s eyes grew dim.

With her keen senses, Jing Qingxin naturally noticed the gaze fixed on her. She turned slightly and caught sight of Jiang Min quietly eating her vegetables. Yet she could not understand why the girl kept looking at her.

After a brief thought, Jing Qingxin stopped puzzling over it. In time, everything would become clear. For now, she would simply keep eating and talking.

By the middle of the meal, the table was alive with lively conversation. The men were in high spirits, drinking by the cupful, while the two children teased each other, each insisting on eating whatever the other had. The women chatted idly as well, creating a scene of warmth and bustle.

“Xiaomin, why are you so quiet tonight?” Jing Suyun suddenly noticed that her niece Jiang Min had scarcely said a word.

“Don’t mind her, cousin. She’s just a little mute!” Jiang Feng’s wife said with a laugh. Their daughter was simply not a lovable child, awkward with words and dull in temperament.

Jing Suyun frowned faintly. She knew that her cousin and his wife had always favored sons over daughters and showed little affection for their eldest girl. Once, she had even thought of asking Jiang Min to be their daughter. But when she had hinted at it later, her cousin-in-law had tactfully refused. She knew the couple were still worried that their family’s circumstances might drag down her own household, so they dared not keep too close a relationship.

Besides, the most important reason was that all the housework depended on the eldest daughter. Jiang Min’s mother would never bear to lose a laborer. And now that the girl was nearly grown, she could be betrothed and bring in a bride price. How could they possibly hand such a daughter over to someone else? Would that not mean she had been raised in vain?

Because the two women were thinking entirely different things, the matter had eventually been dropped.

Jing Suyun still felt sorry for Jiang Min, and asked gently, “Xiaomin, are you feeling unwell? Or is the food not to your taste?”

Seeing her aunt’s concerned expression, Jiang Min lowered her head and murmured, “Aunt, why didn’t you take me as your daughter?”

Her voice was very soft, yet everyone at the table seemed to hear it. The whole room fell silent at once, all eyes turning to Jiang Min.

Jing Suyun looked a little stunned. She had no idea why her niece had suddenly said something like that, and did not know how to answer.

Beside her, Jing Qingxin froze slightly as well, then her expression turned faintly awkward, since the words were connected to her too, were they not?

She could not help recalling how Jiang Min had looked at her earlier. Could it be because her godmother had taken her as a goddaughter? Had Jiang Min also wanted to become her godmother’s daughter, only to be beaten to it by her, and therefore grown upset and resentful?

After a moment of surprise, Jiang Min’s mother immediately reached out and struck her, exclaiming in anger, “You little wretch, what nonsense are you saying!”

Though she had taken several blows, Jiang Min still kept her head lowered. She neither fought back nor spoke, making it impossible to see her expression clearly.

“Xiaohua, why are you doing this? She’s still a child. You could just speak to her properly—why hit her?” Jing Suyun urged.

“If she isn’t taught a lesson, she’ll forget even who her parents are,” He Xiaohua said irritably. Just listen to this wretched girl—what was she saying? Was she despising the parents who had raised her?

The Zeng couple sat quietly. They were not very familiar with the Jiang family and did not dare to speak rashly. Jing Qingxin and Gao Shen likewise remained silent, waiting to understand the situation first.

“Listen to yourself. No matter what else is said, you are still Xiaomin’s parents,” Jing Suyun said kindly.

Just as the awkward atmosphere seemed about to be smoothed over, Jiang Min, who had kept her head lowered all along, softly spoke again: “Aunt, I want to be your daughter.”

Slap.

He Xiaohua struck Jiang Min hard again. Jiang Feng still did not stop her or try to mediate. He only glared darkly at his daughter. This girl had always been dull and inarticulate, yet every now and then she would blurt out something so infuriating it could drive a person mad. She was truly impossible to like.

Jing Qingxin heard Jiang Min’s words and could not help twitching at the corner of her mouth. This girl’s personality was a little too adolescent for her age. She did not even know how to read the room; saying such things in front of everyone was just asking to be beaten.

Jing Suyun hurriedly caught He Xiaohua’s hand and stopped her. “Enough! You can speak to her properly. Why must you hit her?”

Jiang Min made no attempt to dodge, allowing her mother to strike her as she wished. She bit down hard on her lower lip to keep from making a sound, her expression full of desolation. She had been truly happy to come to her aunt’s house tonight; normally her parents would never let her visit.

What she had never expected was that her aunt, the gentlest and most loving person in her heart, had actually taken another strange girl as her daughter. How could this not make her feel sorrowful and heartbroken? Her parents only treasured her younger brother and showed her no tenderness at all. But her aunt was different—she would give her plenty of candy, she was always kind to her, and every word and glance was gentle. A woman like her aunt was exactly what a mother should be in her eyes.

Since she was very young, she had longed to be her aunt’s daughter, to be cherished in the palm of their hands. That dream had lived in her heart all this time.

And now, it had shattered.

She only wanted someone to care for her. Someone who would smile and ask whether she was hungry or tired, someone who would care about her happiness and sorrow. Nothing more.

As she thought of this, her eyes reddened, and silent tears slid down her cheeks. Her shoulders trembled faintly as she choked out, “Aunt, I want to be your daughter.”

Perhaps it was the unwillingness of seeing her beautiful dream broken; perhaps she had endured too long. In any case, Jiang Min no longer cared and said aloud the longing she had kept buried in her heart. She had never felt any warmth or attachment toward the Jiang family.

“You little wretch! What are you saying?” Jiang Feng’s face darkened as he shouted. She had made him lose all face. Tonight was his cousin’s family celebration, and yet his eldest daughter had blurted out such improper words. What would the others think? If outsiders heard of it, they might even suspect that they had bad intentions and were trying to cause trouble.

This novel was first published by Xiaoxiang Academy. Please do not repost.