Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations
Under such circumstances, none of the villagers stood up for Ye Jian. They didn’t have much experience and were relatively narrow-minded. Although they were simple-minded, they didn’t have any evil roots. They thought that as long as Ye Jian had food to eat, a place to live, and a place to learn, it was fine. Being beaten and scolded was the most normal thing for them.
Hearing Ye Jian’s tragic past, Xia Jinyuan clenched his fists tightly before loosening them. His voice was low and hoarse as he asked with a vicious tone, “Did Ye Zhifan hit or scold Ye Jian?”
“No, it was all Sun Dongqing. Grandpa Gen couldn’t stand up for Ye Jian sometimes. Since she didn’t want to come back, he thought that Ye Jian was doing well and gave up on the idea of bringing her back.”
Principal Chen sighed heavily as he talked about Ye Jian’s childhood. “Then, Ye Jian woke up one day in her second year of junior high and left the Ye family to look for Grandpa Gen. You know what happened next. Ye Jian’s hard life ended.
“If Grandpa Gen hadn’t asked about her past, he wouldn’t have known that she was living such a miserable life. He blamed himself and kept telling me that he was in the wrong for not persevering and leaving the child in the wolf’s den.”
After listening to Ye Jian’s childhood history, Xia Jinyuan’s eyes were slightly red. He was silent for a while before speaking hoarsely, “Ye Jian almost froze to death outside four to five years ago. What was the cause?”
“On New Year’s Eve, Ye Jian did something wrong and angered Grandma Ye’s son-in-law, Sun Yaozu. He kicked her. Grandma Ye thought that Ye Jian was a jinx, so she told Sun Yaozu to throw Ye Jian, who was pretending to be unconscious, to the fields.”
Sun Yaozu’s name remained in Xia Jinyuan’s heart. He would settle the scores with him and Old Madam Ye!
His little fox had gone through so many hardships in life but she never once admitted defeat. The moment she came to her senses, it was as though she was reborn from the ashes. No matter how difficult the path ahead was, she still persevered and walked on with gratitude.
Principal Chen told him everything he knew. Not only did Xia Jinyuan feel his heart ache, but he also found many suspicious points.
Ye Zhifan would never hit or scold Ye Jian. He never asked Ye Jian what trouble she got into or what lies she told. He never cared about Ye Jian’s studies. He didn’t even ask when Sun Dongqing hit or scolded Ye Jian.
Ye Zhifan only stood up for the first time after what had happened on the second day of the new year. He said that it was his uncle’s fault that Ye Jian got into trouble. In order to prevent her from affecting the school, he asked Ye Jian to quit school and go home.
This was the only time Ye Zhifan came to the school for Ye Jian. It was for no other reason than to make Ye Jian drop out of school.
Xia Jinyuan linked the previous analysis with Ye Jian’s childhood. His eyes were cold as he said, “Ye Zhifan didn’t interfere with Ye Jian’s affairs because he wanted to protect himself. If anything happened, he could blame it on Sun Dongqing.
“What happened on the second day of junior high made Ye Zhifan think that the time was ripe. He could directly cut off Ye Jian’s studies and make her quit school. His uncle, who was the town mayor, didn’t use his power for personal gain, which made him appear fair!
“Uncle Chen, you need to keep our conversation a secret from Ye Jian. I need to investigate a few more things.. I’ll tell you when I have any leads.”
