Time-Travel: The Tragic Cannon Fodder Female Supporting Character Makes a Comeback
CHAPTER 49: The 1960s Marriage Swap: Marrying a Cook (3)
Ye Su raised a brow. So this was the male lead.
Originally, he was supposed to be Ye Su’s fiancé. After Ye Liu was reborn, she immediately set her sights on this potential “golden ticket.”
After pushing Ye Su out of the picture, she went on to serve and please his parents, even visiting the military base to assert her place in his life. The male lead had also adopted the child of a fallen comrade, and Ye Liu voluntarily brought the child home to raise. In the end, he was moved by her actions, and the two ended up together.
In his previous life, Tan Jun had actually married Ye Su. He was satisfied with her looks and felt proud to have her as his wife. But after marriage, she had to take care of his entire family. His parents were old-fashioned and strict, and he also had two difficult younger sisters.
Even though life later improved and they ended up living in a villa with a car, Ye Su was basically an unpaid maid in that household, constantly ordered around and looked down upon.
Ye Liu only saw the surface gloss and never the ugly reality underneath. It was nothing more than a moth flying straight into a flame.
Ye Su gave the aunt a reassuring pat on the shoulder.
“Thanks for telling me all this, Auntie. But things like this come down to fate. If it’s meant to be, it’ll happen. If not, it’s fine. Maybe we’ll cross paths again someday.”
The aunt, a little emotional from the conversation, blinked with teary eyes and then pulled out twenty cents from her pocket.
“You poor girl, you don’t even have luggage with you. Take this for now and buy yourself some food on the road.”
Ye Su thanked her, but didn’t take the money. After all, food was already scarce these days, and everyone was struggling. Then she simply turned and left.
……
After a full day and night on the train, then transferring to an oxcart, Ye Su finally made it to West Village.
This was the village where her biological parents lived.
The villagers were surprised to see a strange but strikingly pretty girl, and a few of them even came forward to ask.
“Girl, who are you looking for?”
“I’m looking for the Ye family, Ye Xiuli and Hao Wenfang’s home.”
At that, everyone grew curious. The more they looked at Ye Su, the more they felt she had a faint resemblance to the Ye family’s son. With the Ye family’s daughter suddenly disappearing and now a girl showing up who looked somewhat similar… people started to suspect something.
An aunt tentatively asked, “Girl, what are you doing at the Ye family’s place?”
Ye Su replied calmly, “I’m here to find my relatives. I was switched at birth with Ye Liu. I’ve come to find my biological parents.”
As soon as they heard that, everyone exchanged gossip-filled looks.
“No wonder Ye Liu suddenly ran off without a word. So she went to find her city parents. That girl always felt a bit off anyway. Who would’ve thought she wasn’t even their real child.”
“I don’t think those city folks are much better either. Even a dog you raise for long enough has feelings. And now this pretty girl has no one protecting her, coming all alone to find her family. What if she runs into traffickers…”
The crowd kept chattering back and forth as they escorted Ye Su all the way to the Ye household.
When the Ye family saw Ye Su, they were completely stunned.
The villagers kept talking over one another.
“This child is so pitiful. These two kids were switched at birth, you know. Their Ye Liu went over there, and she was chased out by the city parents. She came all this way alone to find her family…”
Ye Xiuli stared at the girl in a daze. Her daughter’s eyes were just like his wife’s, big and bright. He wiped the sweat from his forehead and spoke nervously, even stammering a little.
“L-Little girl, you…”
The moment Hao Wenfang saw her, she knew instantly that this was her biological child.
Her eyes turned red. She pushed her husband aside and hurried over to Ye Su, pulling her straight into a tight hug as she broke down crying.
“This is my daughter! It really is my daughter!”
Ye Su was caught completely off guard as she was pulled into the embrace. The woman was taller and stronger than her, and her smaller frame was practically buried against her chest.
The hug was warm, filled with the steady, comforting scent of a mother’s love. It felt safe. Grounding.
Hao Wenfang held her thin, fragile daughter close, immediately noticing how little weight she had. She was all bones, barely any flesh on her at all. That realization only made her cry harder.
Even though it was a famine year, their family still had a cellar and had stored grain from earlier years. There wasn’t much meat, but at least they could eat enough to feel full. The children they raised were all sturdy and well-fed. As the youngest daughter, Ye Liu had never done any heavy or tiring work in her life. The whole family spoiled her quite a bit and never let her suffer.
But their own biological daughter, the one they heard was “living well in the city,” was nothing like that. What kind of good life left someone so thin she looked like nothing but bones?
The rest of the Ye family inside the house heard their mother crying and rushed out, thinking something had happened outside.
“Mom! What’s going on?”
The eldest son, Ye Qingsong, and his wife were the first to run out.
The second son, Ye Bai, didn’t even bother putting on shoes. He dashed out barefoot in just a vest, shouting, “Mom! Which damn bastard dares to bully you…”
Ye Xiuli shot his second son a glare and quickly grabbed him, lowering his voice.
“What are you yelling about? Your mother is happy. Your biological sister is back.”
“Our sister?”
Ye Bai followed his gaze and only then noticed the girl in their mother’s arms.
He couldn’t see her face clearly at first, but his first impression was that she was short and painfully thin, like she hadn’t been eating properly.
The eldest brother, Ye Qingsong, exchanged a look with his wife Tian Daniu after hearing this. It seemed they hadn’t expected the city-raised girl to actually come back on her own.
A few days earlier, their younger sister had suddenly said she wasn’t their biological child. The very next day, she packed her bags and left.
At first, they thought she was joking. Later, the whole family even rushed to the station to stop her, but she said a lot of things that hurt them deeply. In the end, the family returned home disappointed and shaken.
The atmosphere at home had been gloomy ever since. Their mother had even been secretly wiping away tears these past few days.
Hao Wenfang held her daughter for a long time, crying her heart out. Only after she finally calmed down did she let go in a fluster and wipe her tears.
“It’s all Mom’s fault. I let you suffer.”
Ye Su’s eyes were slightly red, but she shook her head.
“It’s not your fault.”
The gathered villagers watching the reunion were also moved, some of the more emotional ones quietly wiping their tears too.
A few of the village elders spoke up to comfort them.
“Alright, alright, Ye family. It’s a good thing the child is back. She probably had a long trip and must be hungry. Hurry and take her home for a hot meal.”
“Yes, yes! She must be starving. Mom will cook for you right now.”
Hao Wenfang quickly took her daughter’s hand and led her home, calling out as she walked, “Old Ye, go and slaughter that hen we’ve been keeping!”
“Qingsong, go start the fire right now. Daniu, knead the dough. We’re having dumplings today!”
“Bai, hurry up and go to the back garden to find some tomatoes. Cut them into small pieces and dip them in sugar so your little sister can quench her thirst.”
The Ye family answered in unison, “Got it!”
Everyone got busy with their tasks, their quick, practiced movements making the watching villagers burst into laughter.
They teased that the Ye family looked like they were celebrating the New Year. But then again, their biological daughter had just come home, so having a proper meal wasn’t strange at all.
Soon, the crowd dispersed.
Hao Wenfang carefully led her daughter into the room like she was something precious. Her eyes were still swollen from crying, but there was nothing but joy in them now.
She studied her daughter carefully, then asked gently, “My daughter, Mom doesn’t even know your name yet.”
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