Time-Travel: The Tragic Cannon Fodder Female Supporting Character Makes a Comeback
CHAPTER 50: The 1960s Marriage Swap: Marrying a Cook (4)
Before Ye Su even had a chance to speak, the older woman quickly introduced the family first.
“My name is Hao Wenfang. Your dad's name is Ye Xiuli. Your eldest brother is Ye Qingsong, your sister-in-law is Tian Daniu, and your second brother is Ye Bai.”
Ye Su noticed how nervous she looked, so she gently smiled and said, “My name is Ye Su. Mom, you can just call me Susu.”
The moment she called her “Mom,” Hao Wenfang’s eyes instantly turned red again. She quickly wiped the corner of her eyes and nodded repeatedly.
“Alright, alright… our Susu.”
Hao Wenfang hurriedly brought out the sunflower seeds and peanuts they had saved for the New Year. Then she made a full bowl of egg drop soup with hot water, scooped out a large spoonful of brown sugar, and offered it to her daughter.
Ye Su had been surviving on dry rations the whole way. In this era, supplies were scarce, so seeing the steaming egg drop drink with brown sugar made her stomach instantly react.
It smelled sweet and warm, almost too tempting to resist.
She took it and sipped slowly.
In no time, she finished the whole bowl. A comforting warmth spread through her stomach, easing the exhaustion from a day and night on the train.
“Thank you, Mom. It’s really good,” Ye Su said.
Hao Wenfang looked at her with heartache and asked, “Did you eat enough? If not, Mom can make you another bowl.”
Ye Su quickly shook her head. “It’s enough, Mom. I don’t eat much anyway. I’m already full.”
Seeing how petite and thin her daughter was, Hao Wenfang worried that eating too much might upset her stomach, so she didn’t insist further.
She led Ye Su to sit cross-legged on the kang. A small wooden table was placed in the middle with a pile of peanuts and sunflower seeds. As she peeled them, she casually asked, “Susu, I heard bits and pieces from what everyone was saying earlier. That family… were they really that heartless?”
She asked the last part very carefully, afraid it might hurt her feelings.
Ye Su nodded and replied lightly, “Mm. I was raised in the countryside since I was little. I only went to the county town when I was old enough for school. I have an older brother and a younger brother. My parents preferred sons over daughters, so they didn’t really put much thought into me.”
Hao Wenfang’s eyes instantly turned red. She slammed her hand on the table and cursed through tears, “That family is worse than animals! If you didn’t want to raise a child, then why have her in the first place? May they get cursed by Heaven!”
They were raising someone else’s daughter like a treasure, while their own daughter wasn’t even welcomed by her own parents.
If even her parents didn’t like her, sending her back to the countryside must have meant she suffered quite a bit too.
Such a beautiful girl, yet she grew up so short and thin. As a mother, Hao Wenfang’s heart ached just thinking about it.
Ye Su gently took the hand that was slamming the table and rubbed it soothingly. “Mom, don’t get angry over people like that. It’s not worth it. I’m actually really glad I came back now. Having you all care about me is already more than enough.”
Hearing how thoughtful and well-behaved her daughter was, Hao Wenfang immediately burst into tears again and hugged her tightly.
“My daughter, don’t be afraid. From now on, our whole family will love you properly. We won’t ever let you suffer again!”
At that moment, Ye Bai walked in holding freshly washed tomatoes and a small bowl of white sugar. Seeing his mother wailing again, he muttered quietly, “Mom, your voice is way too loud. Don’t scare my little sister.”
Ye Su couldn’t help it and burst out laughing.
The moment she laughed, Hao Wenfang’s crying stopped instantly. She wiped her tears and shot a glare at her second son.
“Ye Bai, I see you’ve really gotten bold. Can you show a little manners in front of your little sister? Hurry up and greet her properly.”
Ye Bai was about 1.8 meters tall, lean and full of energy. Thanks to his parents’ good genes, his features were quite sharp and handsome, and when he smiled, his teeth were neatly aligned.
He grinned foolishly at his little sister and eagerly placed the tomatoes and white sugar on the small table. The closer he looked, the more she seemed like some kind of fairy.
“Little sis, you’re seriously good-looking. I’m your second brother, Ye Bai. Just settle in here comfortably. If you want to eat anything, I’ll get it for you. When you go out, your second brother’s got your back. If anyone dares bully you, I’ll beat them senseless.”
The moment he finished, he got smacked on the back of the head by Hao Wenfang.
“You’re already twenty this year and you still talk about fighting all the time. Anyone who doesn’t know better would think you’re some street thug. What if you scare your little sister!”
Ye Bai rubbed his head pitifully, feeling like his mom was being way too harsh and not giving him any face in front of his little sister.
Ye Su couldn’t help but laugh. She quickly said, “It’s fine, Mom. My second brother has a really cheerful personality. I actually like it.”
The recognition process went smoothly. By lunchtime, they had prepared a full table of dishes, and the whole family sat down together for a reunion meal.
Everyone kept picking the best bites and putting them into Ye Su’s bowl, warmly asking if the food suited her taste and what she liked most.
Ye Su answered each question patiently, without the slightest awkwardness.
Through their conversation, she learned more about the family.
Her father, Ye Xiuli, was a carpenter. He was a bit quiet and gentle by nature, but very good to his wife and children, with calm and kind eyes.
Hao Wenfang had striking features and carried a hint of foreign blood from her ancestors. She had a strong, grounded presence and a fiery personality, the type who handled both household and outside matters with ease.
The eldest brother, Ye Qingsong, was steady and easygoing, gentle in his manners. He worked as a postman at the town post office.
The sister-in-law, Tian Daniu, had a lively and straightforward personality. She was the youngest daughter of the brigade leader from the neighboring village. With three older brothers and an older sister above her, she had always been well spoiled and doted on.
The second brother was the playful one, outgoing and loyal. Besides working the fields, he often went hunting in the back mountains. If luck was on his side, he could even bring back some meat to add to the family table.
The whole family was made up of good-looking people, tall and strong. Sitting among them, Ye Su looked especially small and delicate by comparison.
The Ye family was considered well-off in the village. Even in famine years, they had enough to eat. Their courtyard had six large rooms, and each child had their own space.
Tian Daniu and Hao Wenfang cleaned up a newly renovated room for Ye Su and set it up for her to move in.
The room had just been refurbished, complete with brand-new furniture, originally prepared to be Ye Bai’s future bridal room.
Ye Bai didn’t really care. He wasn’t bothered by any of it. He didn’t want to get married anyway, and if he had the chance in the future, he was thinking of joining the army.
Ye Su settled in quickly. The next day, her mother even took her to update her household registration.
That was when they discovered that Ye Liu’s household record had already been moved out just a few days earlier.
Hao Wenfang said it wasn’t heartbreaking would be a lie. She had raised that daughter for eighteen years, only for her to suddenly turn cold and say she wanted to find her birth parents.
She had originally suggested both families sit down and talk it out, but Ye Liu had responded with harsh words, and things ended on an ugly note.
After that day, there was no news at all. Not a single letter, not a single phone call. She even moved out her household registration without saying a word.
With the registration finally settled, Ye Su was officially back with her biological family.
Blood ties ran deep, and the bond formed quickly. Ye Su blended right into the family, and before long, she also got familiar with people in the village.
At the same time, in the neighboring North Village, the Duan family.
In the courtyard, a woman wearing a headscarf spoke softly to the son sitting across from her.
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