CHAPTER 148: CHAPTER 148: NO MATTER HOW HARD I TRY, I CAN’T FIT IN

The man from that family was unable to have children due to an injury, leaving them with only a sickly daughter. They didn’t want their daughter to be bullied when she married into another family, nor did they want their lineage to end. They thought of raising a child at home early on so that after their passing, there would still be someone to take care of their daughter.

At that time, no matter how much I pleaded, Grandma wouldn’t relent.

Just as I was about to be taken away by that couple, my cousin and her husband came back for a visit, stopped them, and talked privately with Grandma for a long time. Only then did Grandma relent, and I wasn’t taken away by that couple.

Later on, it was my cousin who felt sorry for me and feared that after they left, Grandma would send me away to be a child bridegroom, so she begged her parents to take me with them.

My cousin and her husband initially disagreed, but they couldn’t resist my cousin’s persistence, so they eventually agreed.

I only found out later that the reason Grandma agreed to let me leave with my cousin’s family was that they gave Grandma thirty yuan. However, my cousin’s husband was wise and found the village head to witness and sign a document to prevent future disputes with Grandma.

The document stated that when I grew up, whether I returned home or not would be my decision. If I didn’t return, the thirty yuan would be considered full compensation for raising me. If I wanted to return, the family couldn’t refuse to take me back under any pretext, which was most advantageous to little me.

The reason my cousin’s husband took me was that their eldest son went missing in the chaos of war, and their second son drowned because the mother didn’t watch over him properly. My cousin was mentally traumatized by losing one son and having another die, often having relapses.

They thought that bringing this nephew from the maternal side might be beneficial for my cousin.

So, I left with my cousin and her family, returning to live with the Shen Family in Beijing.

At first, the elders of the Shen Family and other relatives didn’t agree, but my cousin’s husband insisted and mentioned that it was a few older cousins who took their eldest son out and didn’t bring him back, and their second son drowned because his own mother didn’t watch over him properly.

The Shen Family dared not object after Third Brother brought up past mistakes because they were indeed at fault.

I stayed with the Shen Family, but the good times didn’t last long. When I was seventeen, my cousin and her husband had an accident trying to save equipment in the factory, and as the Shen Family didn’t want to support an outsider, I returned to the He Family.

Returning to the He Family, the grandmother who didn’t welcome me had passed away. My parents felt guilty for mistreating me, so they were fairly nice to me, but after ten years apart, having visited only once, I always felt a distance between us.

I stayed at home for less than a year before seeking an opportunity to join the military.

After joining the army, I still kept in touch with the family, but the relationship was just average. Over my six years in the military, I only went home twice, and each time I stayed for only a few days before leaving.

I just couldn’t fit in with that family, no matter how hard I tried.

Later, I retired due to an injury and started working at the Mechanical Factory, where I would spend one day each month going back, just going through the motions. The only good part was that I didn’t have to send money home.

It wasn’t that I didn’t want to, but after Big Brother and Second Brother got married, they only paid for living expenses. My parents felt embarrassed to ask someone who didn’t live at home to contribute financially.