Chapter 2 — She Is My Blessing

I immediately pulled her in, found a seat and ordered. Her whole body was stiff and unnatural, her hands were so tense that she didn't know where to put them.
"Sister, this place is very expensive. Let's change to another small shop."
"It's okay, I invite you. You just need to choose what you like."
Facing my encouraging eyes, she now timidly looked at the dish list hanging on the wall, slowly raising her hand to point out a few dishes. Waiting for the two of us to eat and drink until we were full, I mentioned the question that had been hidden in my heart for a long time and asked softly:
"Xiao Nhi, you're not Luu Ngoc Thuy's biological child, right?"
Truong Xao's face was full of surprise and he quickly shook his head.
"Of course you are my biological daughter. Why do you ask like that?"
My doubts deepened, so I softly asked:
"If they were born from the same mother, she loved Truong Thanh Nguyet enough, why would she treat her like a torn shoe and throw her away?"
Truong Xao heard that and was silent for a long time. After a while, she sighed softly and slowly explained the reason behind it. Truong Thanh Nguyet is three years older than Truong Xao. As a child, he was healthy and active. The day Luu Ngoc Thuy gave birth to Truong Xao, her father was going up the mountain to cut firewood. Hearing the news that he was in labor at home, he hurriedly returned. Who would have thought that in the middle of the road it was raining heavily and the mountain road was slippery. He carelessly fell down the cliff, losing his life on the spot. At home, Luu Ngoc Thuy was in pain from giving birth, could not take care of herself, and could not take care of young Truong Thanh Nguyet. The little girl ran away from home alone, got caught in a heavy rain and had a high fever that wouldn't go away. Since then, the disease has left the body weak all year round.
"My mother always said that I was a disaster. If I could kill my father, I would implicate my sister in having a long-term illness. She only wished she had never given birth to me."
After hearing this, my heart sobbed deeply, and I also felt indignant for her. The source of all disasters is that heavy rain, how can you blame a child who has just been born? Truong Xao met my pitiful eyes and instinctively turned around to avoid me. In her core, she hides stubbornness, refusing to accept others' pity. The girl stood up and said softly:
"Sister, we should be on our way. If not, I'm afraid we won't be able to return to the village before dark."
I looked at her small but straight back and sighed softly.
04
On the way, I specifically told Truong Xao to silently put the coins back in the locker after returning home. Now that the letter has been sent, the servants in the palace will probably come looking for it soon. During this time, we do not want any more unexpected events to arise. Truong Xao's face was full of unwillingness, but when facing my serious eyes, he finally agreed in a low voice. She is familiar with the roads and her calculations are not wrong at all. When we got home, there was only a glimmer of fading light left on the horizon. Luu Ngoc Thuy and her mother have finished dinner. Messy dishes piled up next to the table. Seeing us enter, she reluctantly forced a polite smile.
"Oh my, I'm finally home. I even left some food for you two."
I followed her gaze towards the kitchen. Inside there were still only two curtains that were both cold and hard. In my heart, I am both angry and sad. This Liu Ngoc Thuy is truly greedy. You have received two taels of silver from me, but you still only took out the cold curtain. She turned her head again and sternly ordered Truong Xao.
"Quickly clean the bowls and chopsticks on the table, and chop the firewood outside the door. All day long, we only play around outside, refusing to share even half of the work."
Truong Thanh Nguyet, next to her, sat leisurely under the candlelight, her fingertips wrapped around the white thread, playing with the string to create shapes herself, without having to do any housework. I really can't bear to watch and argue on behalf of Truong Xao.
"Xiao Nhi is still young, so many heavy tasks are placed on her, isn't that too harsh?"
Luu Ngoc Thuy pulled out a scornful smile and eloquently argued.
"The girl comes from a noble family and doesn't understand the rules of the countryside. I trained her like this for her future. In the countryside, when making matches, people value the most hard-working and agile women. Wait until her good reputation for hard work spreads, then she can find a peaceful husband's family to enjoy her happiness."
I silently looked at Truong Thanh Nguyet who was leisurely playing next to me, secretly smiling coldly in my heart. If this blessing is so good, why doesn't she save it for her eldest daughter? Truong Xao had long gotten used to that different treatment. He didn't say a word of explanation, just quietly walked over to collect the bowls and chopsticks and clean the tables and chairs. My heart was choking and uncomfortable, I didn't want to continue arguing, so I walked out of the yard alone to get some fresh air. I was completely unfamiliar with the roads here, so I casually walked around a few times, but unexpectedly ended up under the back window of the house. I was about to return to my room when the deliberately lowered voices of Luu Ngoc Thuy and Truong Thanh Nguyet in the room came through clearly.