Chapter 306: Chapter 306: Valuable Treasure Chapter 306: Chapter 306: Valuable Treasure Chiang Xiao had never known that her grandparents had such things!
She was simply stunned.
Meng Xinian too hadnât recovered for a long while.
His thick eyebrows slightly furrowed, he said, âGive these things back to your grandparents.â He hadnât expected Chiang Songhai and his wife to give him something so valuable.
Just then, Chiang Songhai happened to come in, saw what he was holding in his hands, glanced back, and hurriedly said to Meng Xinian, âXinian, keep it, you keep it. Little, come here, your grandfather wants to talk to you about something.â
Chiang Xiao glanced at Meng Xinian, signaling him to put the things away so they wouldnât be seen by others. She then followed her grandfather into his room.
âLittle, close the door.â
Chiang Xiao paused for a moment, then obediently closed the door.
She saw Chiang Songhai move a chair to step on, reach behind the black gauze mosquito net hanging on the wall, and after a short while, he retrieved a small wooden box.
Chiang Xiao helped him down.
Chiang Songhai sat on the edge of the bed and opened the flat wooden box.
Seven or eight silver dollars, a gold filigree bracelet, and a white jade peace buckle lay quietly inside the box, catching Chiang Xiaoâs eyes.
Her pupils contracted.
âGrandfather?â
They actually still had these things!
Chiang Songhai sighed and spoke in a low voice, âThese things, I acquired when I was eighteen years old; rest assured, their origins are legitimate. I did not steal or rob; they came to me unintentionally. There were originally some silver and gold bars too, and the gold bracelet used to have a pair, but when your mother left, she took them with her. Whatâs left, your grandmother and I decided no matter how hard life got, we wouldnât use them. Should the time come when you grow up and others look down on your background, unable to find a family to marry into, then these things could be sold for money to find a young man willing to marry into the family.â
He picked up the gold bracelet, his gaze a little distant. He was silent for a moment before continuing, âI donât know if your mother was safe carrying all those things when she left.â
At this moment, Chiang Xiao had no good feelings for her mother, whom she had no recollection of.
First, it was foolishness; to have gotten pregnant before marriage in that era, and not even the parents knew who the man was. Then there was the fact that she wasnât resilient enough, just abandoning her parents and daughter, walking away.
So many years had passed without a word.
If she had died out there, that would be one thing; if she was still alive, could she at least have written a letter back home?
With nothing, didnât she worry about her elderly parents and her daughter at all?
Moreover, knowing full well how poor the family was, she had taken most of the wealth with her!
âYour grandmother and I had never anticipated that a Meng Xinian would appear. Now looking at him, the boy really seems quite good, and heâs good to you, appears decent. The engagement happened so quickly, we almost couldnât react. But once engaged, itâs like being part of the family. Little, listen to your grandfather, from now on heâs your man, your support, you must be good to him, understand? The Meng Family wonât be of low status, just look at what Xinian brought, costing a hundred or so dollars, right? Although the Chiang Family is from a poor area, your grandfather doesnât want others to say we were eyeing the Meng Familyâs wealth. Therefore, we gave Xinian that red envelope for the change of address, consisting of the ring and four silver dollars.â
Chiang Songhai said, âJust with that ring, in the future, no one can accuse you of being vain, of trying to marry above your station, or that me and your grandmother were taken by Xinianâs outward conditions, eager to sell off our granddaughter. I tell you this because I hope you wonât feel sorry for those things. You absolutely canât ask Xinian for them back. Understand? They must be given to him.â