Linlin seemed to find it difficult to say, “They said she was a vixen who used that face of hers to seduce my adoptive father, and that was why he took me in.”
The “they” Linlin was referring to were Song Fang and Zhou Jianjun’s mother.
Jiang Chengzhou gritted his teeth in fury. “That’s complete nonsense! My uncle told me that your birth mother was driven to her death by gossip!”
A beautiful woman who had just lost her husband, raising a child on her own while her in-laws treated her with hostility—she not only had to provide food and clothing for her child, but also guard against men coming to pound on her door and climb over her walls in the middle of the night.
Later, she and Su Lang were “caught in adultery.” Although Su Lang had agreed to take responsibility, faced with the village’s vicious gossip, their dwindling food supplies, and her guilt toward her deceased husband at the thought of remarrying, the woman finally could not hold on any longer.
She had thought that if she died, at least her child would still carry the Zhou family blood. At the very least, the Zhou family would allow the child to survive.
But after she died, everything that followed spiraled in an uncontrollable direction.
Linlin had been too young when she was brought to the island to remember any of this. Su Lang had originally not intended to tell her.
He had only briefly mentioned it to Jiang Chengzhou, hoping Jiang Chengzhou would treat Linlin a little better.
But life was unpredictable. Su Lang had left this world so suddenly that he had never had the chance to explain everything.
Linlin had remained with the Zhou family, where Song Fang had brainwashed her day after day, filling her head with things that had nothing to do with the truth.
She began to fear going outside, fear men, and even fear being liked by others.
It was as if being loved by someone were a kind of immoral act.
Tears spilled from Linlin’s eyes. “I don’t know. I really don’t know.”
His little sister was crying, and Jiang Chengzhou was thrown into a panic. He wanted to wipe away her tears, but was afraid his rough hands might hurt her face.
Yan Yuan sighed. “They said Zhou Jianjun liked your mother?”
Linlin bit her lip and remained silent.
Yan Yuan said coldly, “Then isn’t this Zhou Jianjun’s fault? He was married and had a family of his own, yet he coveted his cousin’s wife. Disgusting!”
He patted Linlin on the shoulder and said gently, “There’s nothing wrong with being beautiful. Even if someone likes her, that isn’t her fault. It’s the other person’s fault!”
Linlin’s tears stopped falling. She stared at him blankly.
Yan Yuan continued, “Do you want to cut your hair?”
Before Linlin could answer, Yan Yuan went on, “It really should be cut. If you absolutely don’t want to cut it, you can tie it up instead.”
The weather was hot, and with Linlin’s hair so long and thick, it had to be uncomfortable.
“But…” Jiang Chengzhou hesitated.
Yan Yuan understood his concern. “Don’t worry. The city is in the middle of a major crackdown right now. Nothing will happen. And even if something does, do you think the two of us are dead?”
Linlin’s real problem wasn’t whether she should show her face. It was her mindset.
She treated her face as if it were her sin. Was she supposed to destroy it in order to find relief?
More likely, even if she ruined her face and became ugly, it still wouldn’t solve her problem.
So what was there to fear?
Sometimes, one had to break before one could rebuild.
The first thing they had to do was change her way of thinking. Beauty had never been a crime. What was there to hide?!
Yan Yuan glanced around, then walked outside to a small stall on the street. He bought a handful of brightly colored hair ties, paid for them, and strode back. He thrust them into Linlin’s hands.
“Here. Tie your hair up.”
Linlin froze for a moment, then instinctively looked at her brother.
Jiang Chengzhou’s heart ached for her. “Go ahead and tie it. You have your brother here. What are you afraid of?”
Linlin pursed her lips and tried to tie her hair up, but every time she managed to get the elastic in place, it slipped loose again, and stray strands fell across her face.
She tried several times until her wrists grew sore, but her hair still hung loosely over her shoulders.
“I don’t know how…”
At home, she rarely even looked in a mirror, let alone learned these little skills girls were supposed to know.
Yan Yuan looked at Jiang Chengzhou. “You do it.”
Jiang Chengzhou took a deep breath and stepped forward as if he were facing a formidable enemy. In the process, he “took” several strands of Linlin’s hair with him.
Yan Yuan couldn’t stand watching any longer and pushed him aside.
He combed Linlin’s hair smooth with his fingers, learned from Jiang Chengzhou’s earlier mistakes, and tied it into a simple low ponytail.
It wasn’t particularly neat, but at least the job was done.
Linlin lifted her eyes, looking somewhat unaccustomed to the change.
With nothing covering her forehead, her exquisite features were fully exposed.
Her face was only the size of a palm. Her brows were slender and gently curved, with their arches tilting slightly upward.
Her eyelashes were long, and the outer corners of her eyes lifted just a little, giving them a faintly alluring quality.
Yet when one noticed her beautiful, clear eyes, an instinctive sense of reverence arose—as though she were too pure to be touched.
Below them was a straight, pert nose and lips pressed together ever so slightly. Her entire face possessed a breathtaking, delicate beauty.
Yan Yuan’s breath caught. In a husky voice, he said, “You look beautiful. Wear your hair like this from now on.”
Jiang Chengzhou was still staring blankly.
Yan Yuan kicked him and reminded him in a low voice, “Compliment her!”
“Beautiful!” Jiang Chengzhou quickly snapped back to his senses. “My little sister, Jiang Chengzhou’s sister, takes after me. She’s gorgeous! Linlin, these hair ties Brother Yuan bought are so ugly. Tomorrow, your brother will buy you some with flowers on them. They’ll look even better!”
The corners of Linlin’s eyes were still slightly red, but her brother made her laugh.
She didn’t like hair ties with flowers on them at all.
The three of them chatted and laughed. Most of the time, Jiang Chengzhou did the talking, while Linlin merely pressed her lips together shyly whenever her brother amused her. Her smile was demure and captivating.
Yan Yuan occasionally glanced at the siblings without saying anything, but there was a faint smile in his eyes.
Naturally, the customers coming and going noticed Linlin, and some even complimented her.
Yan Yuan and Jiang Chengzhou were good-looking as well, though men were less conspicuous. Still, with the three of them standing together, they looked very much like a family.
Linlin noticed this too. Showing her face didn’t seem quite so frightening anymore.
Although people looked at her, most of their gazes were free of malice.
Yan Yuan had been right.
The city was currently in the middle of a major crackdown. In the past, Yan Yuan had often worried because Jiang Chengzhou was always getting into fights and causing trouble outside, and Yan Yuan was afraid he would be arrested.
Now, the crackdown was actually a good thing. At least no one dared to cause trouble.
Besides, with Linlin around, Jiang Chengzhou no longer went out to fool around. He simply stayed by Linlin’s side all day.
It was the best of both worlds.
By evening, the three of them packed up their stall and prepared to go home.
Just then, Shen Man came out of the shop across the street.
Only then did Jiang Chengzhou notice that there was something wrong with her leg.
He had been prepared to glare at her angrily, but the expression suddenly froze on his face, leaving him somewhat awkward.
Most people were born with the ability to empathize. Jiang Chengzhou was not some irredeemable villain, and when he saw Shen Man’s leg, his mind instinctively registered her suffering.
His dislike for her seemed to ease a little.
Shen Man saw through him at a glance and gave a cold laugh. “You pity me? Who do you think you are?”
Jiang Chengzhou was left speechless. As expected, this woman was not someone to provoke.
Had he even said anything?
But Shen Man shifted her gaze to Linlin, and her tone immediately softened. “You tied up your hair? You look so pretty!”
Linlin smiled with her lips pressed together. “Sister, where do you live? Can I walk you home?”
Like her brother, the little girl’s thoughts were written plainly across her face.
Shen Man waved her off with a smile. “Don’t worry. Someone is coming to pick me up.”
The moment she finished speaking, a small sedan pulled over by the side of the road.
