“Madam, this is a photograph of my mother when she was young. Don’t you think she looks very much like you?”
Shen Jiao’s fingers whitened around the photograph.
The woman in the picture was very likely the biological mother of this body.
But so what?
In both her previous and present lives, whenever Shen Jiao had been at her lowest point, not one parent or relative had reached out to pull her up.
Not only had they refused to help, but whenever she was already trapped in misery, they had pushed her even further towards the abyss.
Memories of the past surged through her mind.
Just when she had completely lost hope in blood ties and familial affection, her biological mother had suddenly appeared.
A cold smile curved across Shen Jiao’s lips.
If the woman had been capable of abandoning her child so decisively back then, why bother searching for her afterward?
Would it not be better for them to live their separate lives in peace?
“Mr Hong, there are countless people in this world. I don’t believe two people looking alike proves anything. I still have matters to attend to, so please excuse me.”
After returning the photograph, Shen Jiao turned to leave.
Hong Chengdong hurriedly stopped her again.
His mother had never stopped thinking about her eldest daughter.
Back then, circumstances had forced her to leave the child behind. In later years, the political situation on the mainland had prevented her from returning to search for her family.
Now that the mainland had begun reform and opening up, his mother had immediately sent him back to look for his sister.
That lost daughter had become a sickness in his mother’s heart.
Whenever she had nothing else to occupy her mind, she would hold her daughter’s photograph and cry.
Although the sister shared only the same mother as Hong Chengdong, both he and his father loved his mother deeply.
Because they loved her, they also desperately hoped to find the daughter she had lost.
They wanted to resolve the regret in her heart and prevent her from remaining so depressed.
The doctor had warned them that his mother’s emotional state was harmful to her health and might even shorten her lifespan.
Shen Jiao was the person who most resembled his mother among everyone Hong Chengdong had encountered.
How could he give up and allow her to disappear before his eyes?
Furthermore, although he knew nothing about the woman’s background, he had noticed the complicated emotions in her eyes and expression when she saw the photograph.
His instincts told him that he had found the correct person.
This woman had to be his maternal half-sister.
“Madam, please wait. Could you leave me an address? Your appearance is truly remarkably similar to my mother’s. My mother has become ill from missing my sister, and I wanted—”
Before Hong Chengdong could finish, Shen Jiao walked away without acknowledging him.
She had no desire to reunite with any relatives.
Even if that family possessed unimaginable wealth, what did it have to do with her?
She had already endured all the suffering she was supposed to endure.
Could the sudden appearance of her biological mother erase her past?
Hong Chengdong narrowed his eyes as he watched Shen Jiao flee.
Judging by her reaction, he refused to believe there was no hidden story.
He had failed to obtain her name and address, but that would not be enough to stop him.
Her accent did not sound local to the capital.
Furthermore, while following her, he had noticed that she seemed unfamiliar with the city.
She had probably travelled there for business or to visit relatives.
It was also highly likely that she was staying at a nearby guesthouse or private residence.
Hong Chengdong lowered his eyes to the photograph in his hand.
With a picture that resembled her so closely, he refused to believe he would be unable to find her.
Shen Jiao returned to the guesthouse in a panic.
She had completely lost any desire to continue exploring the city.
Her thoughts were in chaos.
Her instincts told her that Hong Chengdong’s appearance would disturb her peaceful life.
She had struggled so hard to obtain her present happiness.
She would not allow anyone to create uncertainty within it.
Otherwise, she swore that even if it took her entire lifetime, she would never forgive the person who destroyed everything she had built.
Not even a blood relative would be exempt.
By the time Gu Xinjun returned, Shen Jiao had almost completely composed herself.
At the very least, he could not detect anything unusual from her expression.
When she finally returned to Shuanma Village, Shen Jiao, who had remained tense throughout the journey, breathed a sigh of relief.
So even someone like her, who had spent so long drifting without anywhere to belong, had finally found a safe harbour.
When she saw the man holding their child, tears nearly filled her eyes.
Had he not been surrounded by people, she would have thrown herself directly into his arms.
“Jiaojiao, you’ve worked hard.”
“Mummy! Mummy bad!”
Gu Xinguo almost wanted to throw the little brat in his arms away.
A moment earlier, his wife had gazed at him with so much affection that he had been thoroughly enjoying himself.
He had intended to say a few more sweet words and strengthen their feelings so he could “eat meat” that evening.
Then this brat shattered the romantic atmosphere.
“Oh, my Yanyan! Mummy missed you so much. Let Mummy hold you!”
The little fellow twisted his body and presented his bottom to his mother.
Humph.
She had gone away to have fun without taking him.
He was angry.
Unfortunately, his anger lasted only two seconds.
“Yanyan is angry with Mummy? In that case, Mummy will give this little toy car to another child.”
A toy car?
The little fellow whipped around instantly.
He made his father put him down, then ran over and hugged his mother’s leg, demanding to be picked up.
His shamelessly flattering behaviour was almost too embarrassing to watch.
“Xinguo’s wife, did you manage to purchase sewing machines for our factory?”
“Yes, I did. I also bought some fashionable new fabrics, buttons, zips, and other supplies. Party Secretary, you can stop worrying. And that isn’t all. Brother Xinjun also signed several large orders in the capital.”
“That’s good. That’s very good!”
The Party secretary grinned so widely that his eyes nearly disappeared.
Because of Xinjiao Garment Factory, Shuanma Village had become the wealthiest production brigade in the entire commune.
Almost every household had someone earning a regular wage.
When that income was combined with earnings from the fields and whatever temporary work other family members performed, the savings accumulated by Shuanma Village’s residents ranked first in the commune and among the highest in all of Linqing County.
Leaders from both the commune and county had praised their production brigade on more than one occasion.
They had even called upon other brigades to learn from them.
Whenever the commune or county held a meeting, Party Secretary Gu was always the man with the most prestige.
All of this had been brought about by Xinjiao Garment Factory.
How could he possibly neglect or stop caring about it?
After hearing that Shen Jiao’s trip had gone smoothly, he finally relaxed.
He clasped his hands behind his back and returned home humming a cheerful tune.
At the next commune meeting, he would still be the most impressive person there.
After handling matters at the factory and returning home that evening, Shen Jiao told Gu Xinguo about encountering Hong Chengdong in the capital.
His expression barely changed.
He simply held her hand and comforted her.
“Follow your own heart in everything. If acknowledging them will make you happy, then do it. If it won’t make you happy, then don’t.
“Our family may not possess immense wealth, but we have no need to flatter anyone.”
Gu Xinguo’s words gave Shen Jiao endless courage.
They strengthened her determination not to acknowledge those relatives.
She truly did not want to be hurt by family again.
She knew nothing about the people on her biological mother’s side.
What if they were unpleasant?
Then she would merely be recognising another source of trouble.
By refusing to reunite with them, she could completely eliminate the possibility of being harmed by relatives again.
Her reasoning was sound.
Unfortunately, Hong Chengdong was equally determined to fulfil his mother’s wish.
Only a few days after Shen Jiao returned to Shuanma Village, he found her.
This time, he brought convincing evidence proving that she was his maternal half-sister.
After investigating Shen Jiao’s background, Hong Chengdong personally travelled to Shenjia Village.
For only one hundred yuan, he obtained the swaddling cloth Shen Jiao had worn as a baby from Shen Chunshan’s household.
It was exactly the same as the one his mother remembered.
The characters **Jiaojiao** had even been embroidered on it.
That was how Shen Jiao had received her name.
“Miss Shen, if none of this is enough to convince you, there is one more detail. My mother said that my sister has a volcano-shaped birthmark near the top of her thigh.”
This time, Shen Jiao had nothing to say.
There truly was a volcano-shaped birthmark near the top of her thigh.
Even so, she remained determined not to acknowledge them.
“You can see that I’m living very well. I have a husband who loves me, an adorable child, and a business that supports my family.
“I’ve already passed the age when I needed a mother.”
Hong Chengdong had not expected Shen Jiao to reject the reunion so directly.
He had already told her about the Hong family’s position in Hong Kong.
They were an old, established family possessing enormous wealth.
An ordinary person would have clung to them immediately.
Yet Shen Jiao avoided them as though they were a disaster.
He had to admit that her attitude made him feel somewhat relieved.
As long as she was not excessively greedy, he could genuinely treat her as his biological elder sister.
“Sister, do you resent Mother? She truly had no other choice at the time.
“She originally intended to carry you with her to Hong Kong, but you became ill during the journey. How could a weak woman continue travelling with a sick infant?
“Furthermore, even after reaching the border, smuggling herself into Hong Kong would have been extraordinarily dangerous.”
Shen Jiao’s biological mother was named Liu Xuelan.
As a young woman, she had believed love was more important than anything else.
During the 1950s, when her entire family planned to relocate to Hong Kong, she remained on the mainland because she had fallen in love with a writer.
Unfortunately, although the writer treated her well at first, the changing political situation eventually caused him to resent Liu Xuelan’s family background.
Later, he became involved with one of his students and demanded a divorce.
Liu Xuelan had only recently given birth when she suffered this devastating blow.
She tried unsuccessfully to persuade her husband to remain.
After receiving the divorce certificate, she carried her newborn daughter away and planned to enter Hong Kong illegally to reunite with her family.
During the journey, Shen Jiao became ill.
Remembering how dangerous the crossing would be, Liu Xuelan painfully abandoned her beside the road.
Shen Chunshan’s parents later passed by and found the child.
So Shen Jiao truly had been abandoned.
Whatever the reason, abandonment was still abandonment.
She gave a bitter smile.
Why did she have so little fate with parents?
Before transmigrating, she had been a child rejected by her parents.
After crossing into another life, she remained the one who had been abandoned.
Fate had truly shown her remarkable favour.
“What happened to that man?”
She could not bring herself to call such a scumbag “Father.”
She did not ask because she still held fantasies about him.
She simply wanted to prevent him or any of his relatives from unexpectedly appearing to claim her one day.
Knowing the enemy and knowing oneself would allow her to prepare.
“During the special period, he said the wrong thing. He was sent down to the countryside and didn’t survive.”
Good.
A scumbag like that deserved no sympathy.
At the same time, Shen Jiao felt relieved.
There would be no relatives from her biological father’s side coming to recognise her.
“Mr Hong, perhaps you think I’m cold, but this is genuinely how I feel.”
When they returned to the subject of acknowledging her relatives, Shen Jiao continued to refuse.
Seeing her determination, Hong Chengdong stopped trying to persuade her.
He had learned about her past and guessed that familial affection had wounded her too deeply.
Time would reveal a person’s true heart.
He believed that as long as his family demonstrated sufficient sincerity, this sister would eventually call his mother “Mum” with genuine affection.
Hong Chengdong kept his word.
The Hong family owned its own clothing brand, and their factories had established channels for purchasing raw materials.
After learning about the difficulties facing Shen Jiao’s factory, he specially introduced several suppliers to her.
With his support, Xinjiao Garment Factory continued expanding.
It nearly became the signature enterprise of Linqing County, while Shen Jiao was recognised as one of the county’s exemplary private entrepreneurs.
Of course, that was not the most important development.
More importantly, not long after Hong Chengdong left Shuanma Village, Shen Jiao became pregnant again.
When she learned the news, she patted her chest in lingering relief.
Fortunately, the country had not yet formally implemented the family-planning policy.
She had managed to become pregnant just in time.
When family-planning campaigns began in full force that summer, the entire family felt extraordinarily fortunate.
Everyone who saw Shen Jiao praised her good fortune.
The child in her stomach had been especially skilled at choosing the right time to arrive.
Shen Jiao stroked her stomach.
This child truly had selected an excellent moment for reincarnation.
Two significant events occurred during Shen Jiao’s pregnancy.
The first was that after hearing she was pregnant, Liu Xuelan flew directly from Hong Kong.
She insisted on caring for Shen Jiao throughout the pregnancy and looking after her during postpartum confinement.
Liu Xuelan resembled her name.
She possessed the cool elegance of an orchid growing in a quiet valley and the fragile beauty of a delicate flower.
It was obvious that she had been extremely well protected.
Although she was already in her fifties, her eyes remained as clear as a young girl’s.
Whenever she looked at someone, her gaze was soft enough to melt their heart.
Shen Jiao wanted to refuse her.
In the end, however, she was defeated by those eyes and had no choice but to allow Liu Xuelan to remain in their home.
In truth, Liu Xuelan had brought a nanny with her.
When she claimed she would care for Shen Jiao, she mostly meant accompanying her in conversation and arranging the menu for her three daily meals.
The residents of Shuanma Village were endlessly curious about Liu Xuelan.
They heard that she was the mistress of an enormously wealthy Hong Kong family.
Look at her.
She was almost sixty, yet she still resembled a young woman.
Then they looked at themselves.
They were not even thirty and had already become exhausted, sallow-faced wives.
There was simply no comparison.
Because of Liu Xuelan, Shen Jiao’s status within the village became even more exceptional.
Everyone spoke to her with an added layer of restraint.
After all, Shen Jiao had now become the eldest daughter of an extremely wealthy family.
The second major event was that no one knew where Wang Xiangxiu obtained the investment, but she unexpectedly opened a garment factory in Linqing County.
Qin Zhifeng returned with her.
After learning about Shen Jiao’s background, Qin Zhifeng attempted to entangle himself with her again.
Gu Xinguo gave him a thorough beating before he finally behaved himself.
Even so, the entire incident disgusted Shen Jiao terribly.
Wang Xiangxiu copied Xinjiao Garment Factory’s naming style and called her business **Xiangfeng Garment Factory**.
She was plainly declaring her intention to compete directly against them.
News that Wang Xiangxiu had returned to open a garment factory caused little excitement in Shuanma Village.
Many new garment factories had opened throughout Linqing County during the past two years.
Yet Xinjiao Garment Factory still stood above all of them.
Now they even had an immensely wealthy Hong Kong family supporting them.
Why the hell should they be afraid?
The old tailor’s family, however, could not remain indifferent.
They travelled to the county town countless times to cause trouble.
Unfortunately for them, Wang Xiangxiu and Li Tao had never obtained a marriage certificate.
No matter how fiercely the Li family protested, they could accomplish nothing.
In the end, Wang Xiangxiu reported them to the police.
They were detained for quite some time before finally becoming obedient.
Once Xiangfeng Garment Factory officially began operating, people quickly noticed that it constantly copied Xinjiao Garment Factory’s clothing designs.
It also frequently stole Xinjiao’s orders.
Their strategy was not particularly sophisticated.
They simply engaged in a price war and won contracts by offering extremely low prices.
After losing several orders, workers at Xinjiao Garment Factory began panicking.
They approached Shen Jiao and suggested lowering their own prices.
Naturally, Shen Jiao refused.
Doing so would only reduce the perceived quality and reputation of Xinjiao clothing.
Furthermore, with Hong Chengdong’s assistance, their products would never remain unsold.
There was absolutely no reason for her to panic.
Since Wang Xiangxiu wanted to play this game, Shen Jiao would accompany her until the end.
In public, she calmly reassured the factory employees.
In private, she collected damaging information about Xiangfeng Garment Factory.
Eventually, she discovered a problem with their source of materials.
Every shipment they purchased consisted entirely of defective stock.
More accurately, it was industrial waste.
The fabric appeared normal on the surface, but it had been left sitting in factory warehouses for a long time.
Poor storage had caused severe oxidation.
Although the finished clothing initially looked fine, it wore out extremely quickly once people began using it.
Wang Xiangxiu was truly willing to do anything for profit.
Using fabric like this would inevitably lead to trouble.
Sure enough, during Xiangfeng Garment Factory’s third month of operation, it was overwhelmed by mass returns and compensation claims from customers.
The factory had no choice but to declare bankruptcy.
Afterward, Wang Xiangxiu and Qin Zhifeng disappeared.
Shen Jiao never saw either of them again.
Two months after Xiangfeng Garment Factory went bankrupt, Shen Jiao gave birth to her second child.
It was a daughter who looked almost exactly like her.
If Gu Xinguo and Liu Xuelan failed to hold the baby at least once every day, they could not sleep peacefully at night.
When little Gu Mingyue reached her one-month celebration, Shen Jiao finally met her stepfather, Hong Jiaming.
He was an exceptionally calm and steady man.
Of course, only a man like him could have cared for Liu Xuelan so well.
He treated Shen Jiao, his stepdaughter, with great kindness.
Although his manner could not be described as intimate, he was more than qualified as a stepfather.
Not only did he provide funding for Gu Xinguo to establish a logistics company, but he also introduced designers to Xinjiao Garment Factory, which desperately lacked professional design talent.
However, those designers lived in the capital.
They only travelled to the factory once a month to submit their designs.
Shen Jiao merely needed to pay them according to the number of designs she approved.
Naturally, the reason Hong Jiaming devoted so much effort to helping Shen Jiao was because he loved everything connected to Liu Xuelan.
Shen Jiao watched her mother depend on her stepfather like a young girl.
A trace of envy appeared in her eyes.
Gu Xinguo walked over and wrapped an arm around her shoulders.
Why should she envy anyone else?
Did she not also have a husband beside her who loved her deeply?
Shen Jiao turned and smiled gently at him.
That was true.
She also had someone who loved her.
This remarriage had truly come at exactly the right time.
–End
**Nomad: I hope you enjoyed this short little read! It was honestly quite nice translating something that didn’t consume every last functioning brain cell I had.
The story had a genuinely interesting idea, but because it was so short, everything moved at the speed of light. One moment something was happening, and the next moment it had already been resolved before I could even emotionally process it.
The writing style was also more focused on telling us what happened rather than fully describing the scenes and making us feel like we were actually there. I would have loved to see the relationship between the main characters developed more, instead of Gu Xinguo basically responding to everything Shen Jiao said with, “Sorted”.
Everything also seemed to go suspiciously smoothly for Shen Jiao. Problems appeared, Shen Jiao breathes, and somehow the universe immediately rearranged itself in her favour. But to be fair, that does seem to be exactly the kind of story the author intended to write, so I cannot complain too much.
I have completed a few other novels and am currently translating several more, so perhaps one of them might interest you. The writing quality varies quite a bit, but I always try to stay as faithful to the author’s original style as possible. Even when part of me is screaming, “Please let me rewrite this sentence,” I have to behave myself. Otherwise, it would stop being a translation and slowly become my own unofficial remake.
Thank you so much for taking the time to read! A special thank you to everyone who bought me a coffee. It is deeply appreciated and may be directly responsible for several translated chapters existing.
I especially enjoy reading everyone’s comments, so please leave a message when you can. I would love to hear your thoughts about the characters, plot, relationships, questionable decisions, and anything else that caught your attention.
There are many moments when I want to share my own opinions, but then I stop myself because I do not want to disturb anyone’s reading experience or accidentally influence how they view the story.
So instead, I sit quietly behind the screen with all my thoughts.
Ahahaha!**
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