I became the Counterpart of the Winner in a Period Novel-Chapter 276 - 272: This Is the Truth
Cooking takes time, and meanwhile, Jiang Ming’an realized he couldn’t rely on his old father, so he had to step in.
Lu Jinqian was surprised that his nephew, who used to be quiet, had become quite talkative now.
Xiao Ran was taken by Lu Yu to play with corn cob building blocks, so there was nothing that couldn’t be talked about.
"... So, Uncle, where did my mother’s pocket watch come from?"
Lu Jinqian reacted as if he had heard a ghost story, and it took him a while to calm down. He hadn’t expected this ghostly thing almost took his brother-in-law’s life.
"This thing was obtained by Jinlan from a monk."
A monk?
The three exchanged glances: it did have some connection to that story.
"Was that monk from Fahua Temple?" Jiang Ming’an asked with a wrinkled brow.
Lu Jinqian shook his head, not knowing why his nephew mentioned Fahua Temple. If it weren’t for the second son’s family visiting Yun Dian, he wouldn’t even know about Fahua Temple.
"No, it was Qiong Bamboo Temple."
Now, the three were all puzzled.
Jiang Ming’an pressed on, "Is it Qiong Bamboo Temple in Nanxi City?"
"That’s right. Back then, your mother was fourteen and loved the temple fair held in January, and at that time, the Qiong Bamboo Temple fair was the most bustling and famous."
Jiang Mingyue calculated that it was only the early ’30s back then. Nanxi City, being a Southwest Border City, was far from the war, so it’s no wonder the family mansions in Nanxi City were well preserved.
"That year there was some trouble, your mother got separated and ended up saving an injured young monk. Your mother secretly found a doctor for him, and when the monk woke up, he gave her this thing as a reward. Your mother couldn’t refuse and thus accepted it. Had we known it was a nuisance, she shouldn’t have taken it back then."
"Does anyone know the name of that young monk, or what he looked like?"
Lu Jinqian shook his head, "Back then, only my mom and second sister saw the monk."
Jiang Zhengye followed up, "By the way, where are Father-in-law and Mother-in-law?" Before he dared not see them, but once he entered the courtyard, it felt like the mountain in his heart could be bearable.
Lu Jinqian was as if frozen, looking down, like a hunchbacked old man, seemingly aged more than ten years, surrounded by a heavy sadness.
Jiang Ming’an, feeling a bad premonition, asked on behalf of his father, "Is there something wrong with Grandfather and Grandmother?"
Lu Jinqian only then wiped his tears with his sleeve, slowly raising his head, his eyes unknowingly red.
"After Jinlan left, my mother couldn’t handle the blow, got ill and never recovered, passing away half a year later. My father lost both a daughter and a companion in an instant, and three days later fell asleep and never woke up... sob... My family’s side branch went to Qingshan Village to report the death, but was chased out by Xu Feng, who said that if they dared to come looking for your big house again, she’d spread rumors that Xiao Ran was Jinlan’s illegitimate child, making Jinlan restless even underground. After the funeral, I couldn’t let it go and went there myself, only to find that old woman even more excessive, not only wanting to ruin Jinlan’s reputation but also wanting to mistreat Xiao Ran. I, I dare not go to Qingshan Village to find you anymore."
Everyone: "..." They didn’t expect there was such a hidden story.
Jiang Zhengye regretted it a bit, it was his stupidity. When his brother-in-law acted so abnormal, he should have been more vigilant. He also blamed himself for being caught up in the past; after Jinlan left, it was as if his soul had been sucked out, causing estrangement between the two families, making it hard for the kids and being unfair to the two elders. They didn’t even attend the funeral, let alone see them one last time.
Jiang Zhengye had never regretted like he did now.
A grown man, crouching on the ground, holding his head and crying "sob, sob".
Like it was contagious, Lu Jinqian, who had already red eyes, also crouched on the ground.
The three kids, noticing something wrong, stopped playing with blocks, looking puzzled and uneasy at the two adults in the courtyard.
"Why are they crouching on the ground crying with their heads in their hands?"
Lu Yu: "Did grandpa lose money? Last time, when we went to the supply and marketing cooperative to buy soy sauce, grandpa, with his poor memory, paid the money but forgot the soy sauce. When he went back for it, they wouldn’t admit it. Grandpa came back and cried just like this."
Jiang Ran chimed in, "My dad doesn’t care about money, losing money wouldn’t make him cry unless my brother upset him. Did any of you hear something just now?" 𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦
Lu Yu and Lu Kuan shook their heads simultaneously.
Xiao Ran, like a little adult, sighed, "It must be my brother said something annoying again. That’s just how he is, the least likable, only Brother Xie could tolerate his bad temper."
Lu Yu, curious like a baby, asked Xiao Ran, "Who is Brother Xie?"
Xiao Ran: "He’s a tall and thin brother, looks really good, he even buys toys for me. Last time he bought a green peacock for me, it looked so real. At the bottom of the green peacock’s tail, there was a lid, when you opened it, there were colorful bead candies inside, so sweet."
