Under such circumstances, no villagers would stand up for Ye Jian. The villagers had little knowledge and were relatively narrow-minded. Although they were very simple and good people, they thought that although Ye Jian had to endure the beating and scolding from Sun Dongqing, it was good enough that she was fed well, had a place to live, and could go to school. It was normal for naughty kids to be beaten and scolded.
Listening to Ye Jian’s tragic past, Xia Jinyuan kept clenching and loosening his fists; his voice was low and hoarse as he asked in a hostile manner, “Have Ye Zhifan beat and scolded Ye Jian before?”
“No, it was only all Sun Dongqing’s doing, so it was sometimes difficult for Old Uncle Gen to stand up and defend Ye girl. Plus, she was reluctant to return with him when he went to see her, so he could only assume that Ye girl is doing well, so he stopped thinking about bringing her back.”
Principal Chen talked about Ye Jian’s childhood while sighing heavier and heavier, “Until Ye girl was in the second year, she finally woke up and resolutely left the Ye family to look for Old Uncle Gen. You also know what happened next. Ye girl’s suffering days were over.”
“Regarding her past, if it weren’t for Old Uncle Gen to ask her, we wouldn’t have known that she had been living so miserably. The Old Uncle blamed himself and kept telling me that if only he had been more insisting on taking her back and not leaving her in the jackal’s den.”
After listening to Ye Jian’s childhood growth, Xia Jinyuan, whose eyes were reddening slightly, was silent for a while before speaking in a hoarse voice, “Ye Jian almost froze to death outside during her fourth or fifth year… what was the cause?”
“Ye Jian did something wrong on New Year’s Eve and angered Old Mrs. Ye’s son-in-law, Sun Yaozu, who then kicked her out. Old Mrs. Ye also disliked Ye Jian and felt that she was bad luck, so she told Sun Yaozu to throw Ye Jian, who she assumed was pretending to be unconscious, to the edge of the ridge.”
Sun Yaozu’s name stayed in Xia Jinyuan’s heart because of this, and he would make sure to settle this revenge that year. He would do the same to Old Mrs. Ye as well!
Life had given his little fox so many hardships, but she never admitted defeat. Instead, she was like a rebirth from a fire after awakening. No matter how difficult the road ahead, she persisted and walked with gratitude.
Principal Chen told Xia Jinyuan all the things he knew, and Xia Jinyuan, who was not only distressed but also found out more suspicious things while digesting all these past events.
Ye Zhifan never beat or scolded Ye Jian, never asked what she had done, what lies she had told, and never cared about her study. He also never asked about Sun Dongqing beating and scolding Ye Jian.
It was not until the matter during second grade that forced Ye Jian to quit school that Ye Zhifan stood up for the first time and accused his uncle for her problems. To prevent her from continuing to affect the school, he asked Ye Jian to quit school and go home.
This was the only time Ye Zhifan came to school for Ye Jian, not for anything else, but just to force her to drop out.
Linking his previous analysis to Ye Jian’s childhood, Xia Jinyuan deduced coldly, “Ye Zhifan doesn’t interfere with Ye Jian’s affairs. Clearly, he wants to protect himself. Once something happens, he can push everything on to Sun Dongqing.”
“What happened in the second grade made Ye Zhifan think that the time was right to ruin Ye Jian’s studies so that her future was ruined and she would be forced to drop out of school. His uncle, the mayor, does not seek personal gains, and it shows that he is fair!”
“Uncle Chen, keep this conversation between the two of us, don’t let Ye Jian know. I will inform you when I have any clues.”
