Before Xiao Cao stood a middle-aged couple who claimed to be her parents, their expressions beset by a tangle of emotions – sadness, yearning, and anguish – yet infused with deep warmth. When the woman, who still retained a youthful air, extended her hand, Xiao Cao instinctively recoiled, causing the woman’s eyes to flood with pain, and her tears to fall even more fiercely.

“My child, my child, don’t you believe your mother? Or is there resentment in your heart? Your mother didn’t deliberately abandon you back then; please believe your mother…” Her voice was heavy with sorrow, her fingers quivering with a gentle tremor, powerless to contain the emotions that welled up within her.

Xiao Cao’s expression was a little stiff. She was unsure how to deal with this situation. She slightly lifted the corner of her mouth before saying: “Madam, please don’t cry. Take care not to strain your eyes. Some things… are just difficult to accept for a while.”

To their surprise, there was no sign of astonishment, dismay or embarrassment in her reaction.

Xiao Cao’s initial declaration was: “When no path is available, I’ll create my own; with effortless ease, I’ll achieve what I set out to do.” However, just like this, she had already found a shortcut she could take.

As for others, this Xiao Cao and the woman had an eight out of ten similarity, and her eyes were identical to the man’s. Although there are people who look alike without being related, she also had a jade pendant with small characters engraved on it, as well as a birthmark about half the size of a palm on her left hip—all of which match what that person had said. Naturally, there was no room for doubt.

As for the man and woman, they didn’t ask her to take out her jade pendant, nor did they check her body for any birthmarks, and it seemed they had already made up their minds that it was her.

Compared to the woman, the man was more self-controlled and rational. After calming his wife down, the man explained to Xiao Cao about the things that happened ten or fifteen years ago. Although some parts were a bit unclear, Xiao Cao was able to understand most of it.

The struggle for power and influence had intensified, with factions emerging left and right. Wenren Taibo’s aunt was a concubine of the previous emperor and gave birth to a prince, and when Wenren Taibo was in his early teens, he became a companion of this prince. With time, the tumultuous atmosphere only grew more intense. The prince had no desire for the throne, but he was inevitably drawn into the conflict. And as relatives of the Imperial family, the Wenren family could not help but get caught up in the turmoil as well.

When Han Shi was pregnant for the third time, the situation became increasingly turbulent and unpredictable. Seeing that things were not going well, Wenren Taibo obtained his father’s permission to send Han Shi and her eldest daughter away from the imperial city to return to their ancestral home, leaving the eldest son behind. This was done because the situation did not allow the eldest son to leave. During their journey back, Han Shi did not encounter any obstacles from her husband’s enemies, but she was instead subjected to the cunning schemes of the women in the household.

On a night with torrential rain, while they were fleeing, she first hid away her eldest daughter. Later, her stomach began to ache prematurely, and she gave birth to a girl. However, she was still carrying another child in her womb, as she had been pregnant with twins. She was unable to move, and the situation became increasingly dire. With a heart full of anxiety and fear for the lives of her children, she at least managed to keep the born baby alive, enduring the pain and hastily wiping her clean with a cloth, wrapping her in clothes, and writing her birth date on a piece of paper with blood. She then inserted a jade pendant with a small poem inscribed on it and had her loyal maid take the daughter away.

On such a night, the possibility of a newborn child surviving was small, but she still clung to a glimmer of hope.

When all hope seemed lost, the eldest daughter, accompanied by a loyal maid, unexpectedly encountered a noble person, who sent someone to rescue her, and Han Shi gave birth to the second baby, a son, safely.

However, the younger daughter was nowhere to be found, and it wasn’t until two days later that the body of the maid who had taken the younger daughter away was discovered.

Han Shi was on the verge of collapse; if it weren’t for having her elder daughter and son by her side, plus the comfort offered by the noble person, she might have lost her mind.

Although there were other things that took her mind away and didn’t allow her to remain melancholic for a long time, she still refused to give up and kept searching for many years, until she finally lost hope. However, this matter had always been deeply etched in her mind, and she often fasted and recited Buddhist scriptures, praying for the well-being of her younger daughter. If she were still alive, she hoped that her daughter would live a peaceful and harmonious life and they would one day meet again; if not, she wished that her daughter would be reborn in a good family, with wealth and honor, and be cherished by them.

As for Xiao Cao, she remained silent and still, sensing the true and deep emotions of this couple. However, their child had unfortunately not survived. Xiao Cao knew clearly that before she had occupied this physical body, it had already become a hollow shell. If she hadn’t been found by her foster father, she probably wouldn’t have been able to survive for long. — Despite her memories having almost completely faded away by now, she knew that back then, she was extremely weak for quite some time.

Towards a child who was lost and then regained, as long as the child doesn’t don’t act recklessly, this couple would likely dote on them even more. However, after having taken possession of her physical body, should she also be taking possession of emotions or relationships that do not rightfully belong to her?

Even if she refuses, what reason would she give? The woman in front of her will probably think she’s harboring resentment, and will become even more tormented by guilt; meanwhile, other family members will likely assume she has ulterior motives and that she wanted to use this as an opportunity to gain more benefits for herself. From then on, her life would be difficult.

Moreover, when it comes to Tingyu, can she still restrain herself if there’s a shortcut to take?

“My daughter…,” Han Shi called out softly, wanting to touch her, but afraid she would be disgusted. “It’s all your mother’s fault, that you were stranded outside and suffered.”

“Madam shouldn’t speak like this. I haven’t suffered, and I haven’t been wronged.” Xiao Cao wasn’t speaking idly; even if it’s just the eight years before, to her, it was a precious gift. The past few years, Tingyu had treated her extremely well, granting her every request without hesitation. It’s not an exaggeration to say that for the past two years, she hadn’t encountered any troubles worth mentioning. Everything had been smooth sailing.

Han Shi looked at Xiao Cao, wearing a coarse cotton garment, her hands rough and unadorned, her body plain and without a single accessory, and then gazed at this humble, dilapidated, and cramped dwelling, she couldn’t believe her words. Her daughter should be dressed in fine silk and adorned with precious jewels, feasting on exquisite delicacies, and being pampered with a thousand indulgences. When happy, she should be playing with idle, carefree things, and when unhappy, she should be able to freely express her emotions without restraint.

Instead, she had become a female doctor, struggling to survive on her own, with those…

Han Shi’s mouth hung open, and she almost blurted out what was on the tip of her tongue, but instead, she only cried even more loudly.

Xiao Cao was at a loss, not understanding why the words meant to comfort had the opposite effect. She turned to the man for help, looking at him with eyes that clearly pleaded, “Comfort her quickly.”

Wenren Taibo was of high moral character and rational, with much more experience and knowledge than Han Shi. Therefore, he saw things more clearly.

His daughter, who had been living outside on her own, may not have been as well-off in terms of clothing and food, but her eyes were clear and her demeanor was dignified. She wasn’t afraid to show her feelings, nor did she sulk and become despondent. Although she may have faced difficulties and hardships, she must not have suffered any major disasters. At this moment, she was calm and composed, neither sorrowful nor joyful, indicating she had no complaints and was free from worry. When she saw them, she must have naturally had some guesses about her family background. Similarly, this attitude also indicated that she did not have any expectations from her family.

Wenren Taibo felt somewhat relieved but also somewhat sad. He turned his head to look at his wife, and then he revealed a faint smile to Xiao Cao, saying, “Call her ‘mother’ and help her wipe away her tears, and your mother will definitely not cry anymore.”

Xiao Cao was taken aback for a moment. She had turned to this unreliable father for help, but he didn’t even hesitate, directly swinging his shovel to dig a hole. Under Han Shi’s increasingly expectant gaze, Xiao Cao was the one who was standing in the hole, unable to move.

This man, is his heart as black as coal?