Yang Cairong glanced at the frail old man lying on the bed, his eyes closed, groaning in pain—a sign he might not make it to the New Year. The old woman with the limp was thin and frail, also not long for this world.
“I have my reasons,” she said. “I’ll send money every month. Take care of yourselves and try to live a long life.”
Liu’s mother knew that no matter what she said, her foolish son wouldn’t listen and it would only hurt their relationship further. She decided to first win over her husband, to make him see eye to eye with her.
She meticulously explained to Liu’s father, trying to prove that everything was a scheme orchestrated by Yang Cairong.
Liu’s father nodded in agreement, which pleased Liu’s mother initially. However, she nearly exploded in anger when he shared his thoughts, which diverged from hers. He found Yang Cairong’s arrangements completely understandable; even if she was attracted by the Liu family’s status, it was natural for anyone to aspire for a better life, a part of human nature.
After this incident, he appreciated Yang Cairong even more. He knew his son well—pure, kind, without guile. These were good traits for a son and a person but not enough for a business leader.
Liu Tianshi was indolent and lacked ambition. He needed a capable partner like Yang Cairong.
Liu’s mother couldn’t accept her husband disparaging their son or the prospect of a daughter-in-law outshining him.
Each visit to the Liu mansion felt like traversing between heaven and hell for Yang Cairong. Liu’s father was warmer than before, discussing the toy factory’s affairs with her, while Liu’s mother didn’t even bother to mask her disdain, her eyes practically shooting daggers.
Stepping up to the Liu mansion always felt to Yang Cairong like crossing class lines, each step taken with care lest she stumble, her steps steady but her heart turbulent.
After much insinuation, Liu Tianshi finally proposed officially. She accepted the ring, her hands trembling with joy from the anticipation of transcending social classes and from the success itself. Her relentless efforts had made possible what seemed like an insurmountable feat, the sense of achievement surpassing the joy of social ascent.
She set the wedding date for six months later. As expected, the two stand-in parents passed away in the fourth month. She took care of their funerals.
The wedding was grand and lavish. Her gaze swept over each guest’s face, basking in their envious looks.
However, she had one regret—that her real mother hadn’t seen her marry into one of the province’s wealthiest families. Not the feigned lame old woman, but her actual birth mother.
After the wedding, Liu’s father promoted Yang Cairong to head of Human Resources, saying that business was essentially about dealing with people. He wanted her to learn to handle all sorts of individuals—from government officials to subordinates and partners—since only by managing people well could one manage business well.
She was smart, ambitious, and diligent, winning Liu’s father’s heart. Next to her, Liu Tianshi seemed lackluster.
Yang Cairong often coached Liu Tianshi, letting him take the limelight to bolster his stature. Seeing her son’s progress, Liu’s mother harbored less resentment toward Yang Cairong.
As Liu’s father increasingly relied on Yang Cairong, Liu’s mother’s resentment grew. Unable to control her husband, she focused on her daughter-in-law, urging her to have a grandson, claiming a woman’s greatest achievement was to bear sons; daughters or career success didn’t count. She believed that bearing a son was a source of pride as if she were the mythical goddess Nüwa who created humanity.
Yang Cairong understood her mother-in-law’s calculation. Having a child meant she would have to stay home, diverting her from work. One child would lead to the push for a second, even a third, tethering her to the home as a birthing machine.
In this family, children were the anchors to secure relational and social status. She scoffed inwardly; even with a child, she planned to return to the company. Just you wait and see.
It was a sunny afternoon, and Yang Cairong’s left eyelid twitched persistently—a sign, based on her experience, that something bad was about to happen.
It wasn’t superstition but a pattern she’d observed: her father’s death, her mother’s death, and another death all occurred on days her eyelid twitched. Initially unnoticed, these events confirmed her belief in this omen.
Unsure what challenge fate had in store this time, she was unafraid and resolute, convinced she could overcome anything as long as she lived.
After a tense afternoon and evening with nothing happening, she laughed at herself and prepared for bed.
Liu Tianshi, admiring his meticulously groomed wife in the mirror, felt increasingly fond and blessed.
“My love, today Little Zhang from HR told me something interesting,” he said.
“What is it?” Yang Cairong casually responded, knowing Liu Tianshi enjoyed lengthy responses to keep the conversation going.
“She said you dislike people from Yangzhuang. In this recruitment drive, you excluded everyone from Yangzhuang. I said that’s impossible; you’re from Yangzhuang…”
Yang Cairong didn’t hear what Liu Tianshi said next, her mind in turmoil. So, this was the bad omen.
She hadn’t expected Little Zhang to be so observant to notice her subtle manipulations. If Liu Tianshi discovered her secret, all her efforts could be undone overnight.
“It’s just a coincidence,” she deflected smoothly, shifting the topic. “Oh, by the way, your mother’s birthday is coming up. What gift should I prepare? Help me think of something.” She aimed to make Liu Tianshi forget about the Yangzhuang issue.
Liu Tianshi didn’t bring it up again, and she thought she had averted disaster. However, she didn’t anticipate that this minor episode would lead to future turmoil.
Three months later, Liu Tianshi seemed troubled. He tried to hide it, but Yang Cairong’s sharp eyes noticed. Under her persistent questioning, he revealed his worries. A few days earlier, while discussing a contract, he had chatted with a business partner from Yangzhuang. The conversation had turned to Yang Cairong, but the Yangzhuang person claimed not to know her.
After several confirmations to avoid any misunderstanding, Liu Tianshi felt something was amiss. Why would Yang Cairong lie unless there was something she desperately wanted to conceal?
“My love, where are you really from?” he asked gently and softly, fearing her anger.
There was only one reason to hide her true origin—her hometown held secrets she didn’t want exposed.
Yang Cairong looked at Liu Tianshi, her eyes filled with anger and more so with hurt. She said defiantly, “Since you already know, I’ll tell you the truth. Yes, my real home isn’t in Yangzhuang. The people you met aren’t my biological parents but my foster parents. You, born into wealth, couldn’t possibly understand what it’s like to be starving for three days. When I was on the brink of death, they gave me a bowl of leftover rice. I had nothing to repay them with, so I promised to care for them in their old age. After I started working at your family’s factory, I sent them a little money each month. My real parents? One’s a gambler, the other a gambler and drunkard. Your parents can’t even accept poverty; how could they accept gamblers? I can’t accept them myself, so why should your parents?
“Don’t get me wrong, I had to escape. If I hadn’t, they would have devoured me eventually, maybe even forced me into prostitution to pay off debts or knocked me out and sold me to some backwater village. Would you want such in-laws? Would your parents want them? I ran away as if they were dead, wanting no ties with them. If you don’t believe me, go find them. They’ll cling to me like demons, and our relationship will be over.”
Her tears made her even more pitiable.
Liu Tianshi’s heart melted with her crying. Her life had been so tragic, he felt sympathy rather than suspicion or blame. He held her close, softly comforting her, promising not to tell his parents.
He was naive and kind, but not foolish. He realized his mother might have been right. The reversal between Yangjiazhuang and Yangzhuang might have been staged by Yang Cairong to gain his sympathy and allay his parents’ suspicions.
Ordinary people wouldn’t suspect that even the lame mother and sick father were fake, her real secret being her gambler parents.
So, was this story true?
She still hadn’t revealed where she truly came from.
Liu Tianshi dared not ponder further, afraid of uncovering more lies, afraid he wouldn’t find reasons to forgive her, afraid to tear away the mask she fought so hard to keep.
He consoled himself: he loved her, not her past. Her past didn’t matter.
“Let’s have a child,” she said, snuggling into his warm embrace, yet shivering as if the cold from being abandoned by her mother in the snow hadn’t yet left her veins.
She needed security, and a child was her anchor in a faltering marriage.
He was young, planning to have children after thirty, but for her, he agreed.
They tried for a year, but no seed sprouted.
His mother’s demeaning words became harsher, secretly calling her a hen that couldn’t lay eggs behind her back. Yang Cairong pretended not to hear, swallowing her pride, still smiling at her mother-in-law.
She vowed to bear a son, to take over the financial department, to control the Liu family business, to make the old woman depend on her.
On December 31, 1999, as the world prepared to welcome the millennium, Yang Cairong and Liu Tianshi joined the throngs of people counting down. At the stroke of midnight, overwhelmed with emotion, she felt as if her life, like the calendar on the wall, turned a new page.
She told Liu Tianshi she wanted to change her name—to Jennie Yang.
Jennie, as in cherishing you.
