Liu Yuelian knew Tian Jing was too glib and saw no point in wasting words:
"Tian Jing, Granny Xu said there's something beneath the courtyard, otherwise, Old Master Xiao and Second Master Xiao wouldn't have left nothing for Grandpa."
"The fact they were willing to pay sixty thousand yuan for the courtyard back then shows how important it is."
"Although decades have passed, we can't be sure you were the one who took it. However, you have the power, an advantage over anyone else..."
Tian Jing waved her off, interrupting:
"Liu Yuelian, what makes you think there wasn't someone like me among the previous residents of the courtyard?"
"So, whatever you say or do, you need proof. You can't just falsely accuse someone because your mother is a foreign citizen."
"If a foreign citizen breaks the law in our country, they'll be dealt with according to our laws."
"Foreign citizenship is not your capital for reckless behavior."
"If you have proof, sue me. If not, shut up. I don't have the time or inclination to bicker with you endlessly."
"You?" Liu Yuelian pointed at Tian Jing, her voice furious, "Just you wait, the person I found for you will soon..."
"Jingjing~"
A fawning, overly affectionate call interrupted Liu Yuelian.
Liu Yuelian, however, smiled, "The person I found for you is here. I'll make sure you're ruined."
Watching the dozen or so people approaching, Tian Jing's lips twitched. The Chen family's ranks had grown.
"Jingjing~"
Guo Xiaoli pushed past Xiao Wei and Liu Yuelian:
"Is this woman here to cause trouble again? Don't worry, we're here to help."
"We only just heard about Grandpa Xiao's passing, and we rushed over immediately. Don't worry, you still have us."
Zeng Jingchu nudged his cousin, "Aren't you going up?"
Zeng Jingrong stepped back instead, "Tian Tian doesn't need me for now."
Tian Jing countered Guo Xiaoli's feigned sincerity, "Who are you?"
Guo Xiaoli paused, then forced a smile:
"Jingjing, I know you're angry that your father didn't take you with him when he left back then."
"As the saying goes, bones are connected even after they're broken. After so many years, you should let go of your anger."
"Even if you don't acknowledge your father, you should at least acknowledge Shaokang and Shaohuang, right? And this..."
Guo Xiaoli scooped up a baby from a woman beside her, "This is your niece, she looks just like you, take a look."
Seeing Guo Xiaoli approaching with the baby girl, Tian Jing quickly waved her hand:
"Miss, you have the wrong person. The woman next to Xiao Wei is her and Chen Yaoming's daughter."
Tian Jing's words stunned the dozen or so members of the Chen family.
Chen Yaoming was the first to react. He turned to look at Xiao Wei and Liu Yuelian.
Xiao Wei resembled her maternal grandmother, and Liu Yuelian bore an eight-tenths likeness to her.
Standing together, the two clearly looked like mother and daughter.
"You?" Chen Yaoming pointed at Liu Yuelian, then turned back to Tian Jing:
"You? Who exactly are you? Why does Tian Jing look like my mother?"
A sly smile spread across Liu Yuelian's lips, "Because Tian Jing is your sister, your paternal half-sister."
A gasp…
The villagers murmured.
They had originally come expecting to see Tian Jing being bullied, and in a way, they were.
But who would have thought Tian Jing's background was so convoluted, and she turned out to be Chen Yaoming's sister.
Xiao Wei was stunned. Her daughter had only told her they were swapped as infants.
But her daughter hadn't revealed Tian Jing's true identity, and she hadn't cared. She hadn't expected her to still be a Chen family member.
And now, she was an elder to her own daughter? This was… quite something.
Chen Yaoming was also stunned, muttering, "Impossible, my father never had concubines."
"Hahahaha."
Liu Yuelian clapped her hands, laughing. Chen Yaoming, her own father, was so foolish. No wonder Tian Jing was unwilling to acknowledge him initially.
No wonder Mommy didn't want to marry Chen Yaoming. He was too stupid, directly handing her a ladder:
"Grandfather didn't have concubines, but he could have a mistress, or even... Ah!"
Tian Jing dodged and slapped Liu Yuelian across the mouth. Liu Yuelian's lips visibly swelled:
"A foul-mouthed person deserves a slap. You, the illegitimate daughter of Chen Yaoming and Xiao Wei, want to pin a disgraceful background on me?"
"Even if you're not afraid of the living suing you for slander, aren't you afraid your grandfather will visit you in your dreams?"
Tian Jing turned to look at the three Zeng brothers, "Since the illegitimate daughter of Chen Yaoming wants to know my background, you tell her."
"So she doesn't force some disgusting story onto me."
Zeng Jingrong elegantly walked to Tian Jing's side and stood firmly,
"Chen Yaoming, I am Han Rong, and this is my sister Han Jing. The Han family has only the two of us left."
"The Han family?" Chen Yaoming exclaimed, "The Han family was wiped out, wasn't it? Uh..."
Zeng Jingrong flickered, appearing before Chen Yaoming and grabbing his throat, his eyes sharp as he questioned, "Tell me, what do you know?"
Chen Yaoming's hands frantically grabbed Zeng Jingrong's hand, "Let, let go."
Zeng Jingrong loosened his grip slightly, continuing to question him, "What do you know?"
Chen Yaoming waved his hands, "I don't know, I only heard my father say that the Chen, Han, and Zeng families were once close friends..."
"He told me that if I ever met anyone from the Zeng family, I should communicate well with them, preferably restore our former relationship."
Restore the former relationship?
Was that even possible?
Did Chen Yaoming's father know about Tian Jing's existence?
That was unlikely. Aunt's letter hadn't mentioned it.
Zeng Jingrong released Chen Yaoming, patted his face, and said with disdain,
"Han Jing is your mother's niece, do you think she resembles her mother?"
"The already declining Chen family wants to restore ties with the Zeng family? What a beautiful dream."
After mocking Chen Yaoming, Zeng Jingrong waved at the stunned Liu Yuelian,
"Near vermilion makes one red, near ink makes one black. You've changed. In the past, you had some self-interest, but you were still a decent person."
"Now, your conscience has been eaten by dogs. Get lost. My Han family's affairs are none of your business."
"If you dare to harass my sister again, don't blame me for being unfriendly. Get lost."
The Chen family came with high spirits and left dejectedly.
Xiao Wei and her daughter also followed the Chen family out of Kusan Mountain.
Liu Yuelian was still unconvinced. Tian Jing's identity was a deep disgrace, so how did she suddenly become a Han family member?
"Dad~" She caught up with Chen Yaoming,
"Dad, what's the situation with the Han family? Why were they wiped out?"
Chen Yaoming's mind was in a daze. The daughter he thought he had was not his daughter. This woman who suddenly appeared and resembled Xiao Wei, was his daughter.
Now, as this daughter approached, he felt a sense of closeness. Could this be the bond of blood?
He sighed, recalling, "From the moment I was born, I never met the Han or Zeng families."
"I only heard about them from my grandfather. He talked about the Han family the most."
"The Han family's assets were greater than the Zeng and Chen families combined."
"More importantly, about half of the Han family members had a chance of inheriting special abilities, and these special abilities were..."
"Your grandmother married your grandfather with the hope of having a child with special abilities, so the Han family would acknowledge them and let them take the Han surname."
"Han family members with well-developed special abilities could obtain resources that would practically make them independent tycoons."
"The Chen family wouldn't have to worry about the development of their descendants..."