The couple were talking when they heard someone call from outside the yard, "Auntie... is that you?"
When the woman saw Jin Shanyao come to her door, she was so frightened that she jumped up from the small stool and instinctively hid behind the man. The man helped her up and looked out into the courtyard.
Seeing that it was a man and a woman with two children, he swallowed hard and asked, "What do you want?"
Upon hearing this, the woman twisted the man's waist, causing him to gasp in pain. The woman didn't want to return the money she had already received.
Before she could even warm up to it, she stammered, "Young lady... are you here to ask for money?"
Jin Shanyao and said, "No... I picked up some seafood on the beach, but I have nowhere to work, so I thought I'd ask you for help... The pay is separate."
When the woman heard that she was not here to ask for money, she finally let go of her worries. She smiled honestly and said, "What do I mean? Come in, come in..."
She opened the door wide, saying, "Where's the seafood? I'll go make it for you..."
Jin Shanyao handed her the basket of soil, and the woman exclaimed, "Oh my, you actually picked up so much!" Then, as if remembering something, she chuckled.
"This stuff won't fill you up, we should collect more."
She was about to take the basket of soil when the man beat her to it, saying, "Your back isn't good, let me do it... Go get the girl a bowl of water; they must be thirsty after being by the sea for so long."
The woman exclaimed in surprise and hurriedly went to pour water.
Jin Shanyao led the siblings around the house. The courtyard was clean and tidy, with oysters drying on the wall and small dried fish drying on the clothesline.
The old woman brought over a bowl of water and said apologetically, "We don't have any tea at home, I'm sorry to have to trouble you, young lady."
"I'm not upset... I think plain water tastes the best," Jin Shanyao, taking the bowl and drinking a big gulp. The woman watched her drink so happily and thought of her own daughter.
Her eyes welled up with tears, and she quickly looked away, taking a deep breath... and said with a smile, "I have two eggs at home, freshly laid today, I'll boil them for you."
"No need..." Jin Shanyao hurriedly tried to stop him, but the man had already entered the kitchen. The woman took two eggs out of the jar, washed them, and handed them to the man.
The man glanced at the eggs, then at her... He sighed, said nothing, and placed the washed eggs into the pot.
The woman secretly peeked out of the courtyard. With each glance at the Jin Shanyao, her eyes reddened. Her daughter was this size when she disappeared, and she wondered how she was doing now.
After the eggs were boiled, the man took them out and rinsed them in cold water. Then he started putting seafood into the pot. Once everything was cooked, he put it into a large basin and carried it to the yard.
"Young lady... the seafood is ready, come and have a taste..."
Jin Shanyao and her two children came over. Seeing the bowl full of shellfish and Crab, prepared differently than she had before, she looked at the man in confusion.
Boiled in plain water?
The man chuckled, "Young lady, seafood is freshest when boiled in plain water. Try it and see."
Jin Shanyao somewhat skeptical, broke off a Crab leg and put it in her mouth. Her eyes lit up instantly; it was indeed tastier than the ones in the capital. She looked at the two children.
"Try it, it's super delicious..."
Upon hearing this, the siblings picked up Crab and began to eat. Fang Rui stood to the side with a talisman on his forehead, his stomach growling with hunger. The man glanced at him but said nothing.
The woman carried a small stool and sat opposite Jin Shanyao, smiling as she looked at her. "My daughter also loves eating sea snails; she can eat almost half a basin of them at a time."
Back then, we were poor and had little arable land, so we never had enough food to eat. My daughter would go to the beach to collect seafood to fill our stomachs. She could swim when she was five and could go beachcombing by herself when she was eight.
Jin Shanyao listened intently, "And now? Does she still go beachcombing?"
The woman's tears fell without warning. Jin Shanyao tightened her grip on the conch shell, looked at the woman, and said nothing more.
The woman quickly wiped away her tears, took a breath, and said softly, "Please forgive my daughter, young lady, she disappeared five years ago."
"Lost?? Where did she lose it? Could she have been scammed by a stranger?"
The man walked over silently, staring at Jin Shanyao with unfriendly eyes. "Girl, I don't blame you for not knowing the whole story, but my daughter has been sensible since she was little."
"I wouldn't do something like eloping with someone."
Jin Shanyao hurriedly waved her hands, "No, you've misunderstood... I meant, could she have encountered a kidnapper?"
The woman covered her face and sobbed, her voice hoarse, "My Yuniang was intelligent from a young age. When she was fourteen, she went to Cloud Brocade Workshop to work as a maid to earn money."
She was hoping to learn some skills and do some embroidery to supplement her family's income when her contract expired. Everything was fine until suddenly she didn't come back for a month.
At the time, neither of us thought much of it, assuming she was too busy at the embroidery shop. But she didn't come back the following month, so I went to the embroidery shop to look for her, but who knew...
The woman burst into tears, "The owner of Cloud Brocade Workshop said she ran off with a merchant from out of town..."
The man's eyes were filled with pain. "My Yuniang such a good girl, how could she elope with someone? They refuse to give my daughter back to me, so I'm going to report them to the authorities."
But the authorities insisted she had eloped and refused to even file a case file. I know my daughter best... She's so filial, she would never just leave like that without even a word."
After a long silence, Jin Shanyao tentatively asked, "Is your family name Yao?"
Upon hearing this, Madam Yao's eyes lit up with hope. She gripped the hand that Jin Shanyao and said urgently, "Miss, have you seen my daughter before?"
Where did she come from? Tell me... We've been looking for her for five years...
Jin Shanyao steadied her, "Auntie, your daughter isn't lost... it's just..." Looking at the couple's expectant eyes, she couldn't utter the rest of her sentence.
"Auntie, fate is predetermined, and the same goes for parents and children. Some can stay with their parents for a lifetime, while others can only accompany them for a while."
Madam Yao looked terrified, her eyes darting nervously to Jin Shanyao. Her words trembled as she spoke, "Miss, what do you mean by that? Do you know something?"
She gazed at the Jin Shanyao, tears streaming down her face like beads. "Is it so hard to speak? Why won't you say anything?"
Standing to the side, Meng Anci saw that Madam Yao had pinched his aunt's arm until it was raw and said coldly, "Let her go, and I'll tell you something."
Upon hearing this, Madam Yao hurriedly turned to look at Meng Anci.
Meng Anci again, "Let go."
Madam Yao suddenly came to her senses and hurriedly let go of his hand... She was strong and energetic from years of hard work, and if it weren't for the fact that the Jin Shanyao was like a tree, she would probably be covered in bruises by now. She looked at Meng Anci with pleading eyes.
He said coldly, "If your daughter's name is Yao Yuniang, and she worked at Cloud Brocade Workshop... then she died five years ago."
Upon hearing this, Madam Yao fainted. Meng Anzhi rushed forward to provide first aid, taking out a ginseng pill and stuffing it into Madam Yao's mouth.
After a long while, Madam Yao slowly opened her eyes, staring intently at Jin Shanyao. "Miss... is what this child said true?"
Jin Shanyao didn't answer her question, but instead asked, "Is there a broom-shaped plum blossom embroidered on the hem of your skirt, young lady?"