11 A Glimpse of Ling Luo's Past (1)

After a brief encounter with Uncle Wang, Qin Yu and Ling Luo continued their way to the summit, climbing via the hillside pine forest trail.

The path was a little bit slippery, making the trip a little bit rough.

Blessed Hill stood at 2300ft tall and could be considered a small mountain at this point. But as the difference between a mountain and a hill had always been obscure, it made a little difference whether it was called Blessed Hill or Blessed Mountain.

With this pace, it might take them around half an hour or more to reach their destination.

However, Qin Yu didn't seem to be bothered about it. Instead, she continued walking at her own pace and feasted on the scenery of green foliage in the surroundings.

She lifted her face to enjoy the warmth brought by the sunlight that seeped through the pine tree crown, letting the light and shadow dance across her skin.

The whistling of the wind through the tree branches, rustling the leaves, the chirping of unknown birds, and the singing of cicadas intermingled together like a harmonious orchestra in Qin Yu's ear.

She inhaled the sweet piney fragrance and continued on, delighting in the sound of her feet sliding through the leaves.

"Nature sweet nature, it's heaven's premier treasure.

The sun that energizes all, responsible for all's rice bowl.

The moon, the star, and the mountain, these are all our life's fountain.

Spring, summer, autumn, and winter. Amazing varied seasons felt every year after.

Trees and greeneries in its wild realm, these in balance makes all overwhelm."

Ling Luo, who followed Qin Yu from behind, was slightly surprised and asked, "It was Aunt's favorite poem, wasn't it?"

Qin Yu nodded and replied in a soft voice, "Yeah. I didn't understand its appeal before, but now I know." She continued while her expression revealed the complicated emotion inside, "I used to feel that the world was grey and dull, but now I feel the opposite; it's vibrant and beautiful. Why is it, I wonder?"

Ling Luo stared at Qin Yu's back; her gaze was filled with a mixture of guilt and relief, "But, it doesn't feel bad, right?"

"No, it isn't," Qin Yu shook her head and smiled faintly.

"That's good then," Ling Luo replied, with a smile across her lips.

She suddenly felt as light as a feather, as if a heavy burden had been lifted from her shoulder.

After all, she had been carrying that guilty feeling in her heart for almost 15 years.

Memories of the events in the past resurfaced in her mind.

---

Ling Village, 21 years ago.

In a dark and messy room inside an abandoned wooden hut, there was a thin and scrawny little girl, hugging her knees alone in tears, in the corner of the room.

"You are worthless."

"Your father left us because you're useless."

"You should just die already."

"I don't have a child like you. You are a mistake."

Those voices kept repeating again and again inside her head, just like a curse that was slowly eating her from inside.

"I…I…am a good girl… mother don't abandon me… I promise I'll be a good girl…"

Still, no matter how loud her crying was, no matter how hard she begged, the fact that her mother had left her a long time ago didn't and wouldn't change.

She was born of a love affair between the son of the Ling village's chief and the most beautiful widow in the village.

The pair were in love with each other, but the man was fully aware that there was no way their relationship would be blessed by his parents due to the difference in status and how badly the villagers would view their union.

His dad was a man of traditional values, and it didn't help that his status as a village chief meant he definitely wouldn't allow their family's reputation to be tainted by such an improper relationship.

So, they could only continue their relationship strictly behind closed doors.

On one fateful night, they seemed to have lost control of their desire, and the chief's son ended up getting the widow pregnant.

In a remote village such as Ling Village, it didn't take much time for rumors to be spread after the widow's stomach seemed to be bulging bigger and bigger with each passing day.

The old village chief was furious and immediately confronted her son and the widow.

Without many choices, they couldn't help but reveal the truth, hoping that the fact that the widow bore his child, the old chief's grandchild, would soften the old chief's heart and agree to their love.

Alas, the old chief didn't want such shameful behavior to be known in the public, in fear that it would make him lose a lot of faces. He became more stubborn in denying their relationship and was hellbent on separating them from each other.

Thinking that exiling a pregnant woman could bring his family's reputation into the gutter, the old chief decided to send her unfilial son to their relatives in the city.

The lover was helpless.

Although the chief's son wanted to take responsibility and marry the widow, he couldn't do anything in front of his father.

Judging from his father's temper, it wasn't impossible for him to hurt the widow or force her to have an abortion if he went against the old chief's words. Seeing his mother fall ill due to disappointment, it shed away the last bit of his hesitation.

Ling Luo's father reluctantly agreed to his father's bidding and promised her mother to return to her and their child as soon as possible.

Ling Luo's mother was devastated by the departure of the man she loved. Her only saving grace was the child on her stomach and the promise made by the chief's son. She could only hope that when the child was born, the man she loved would come back to her and his family would accept her.

A rotten egg couldn't hide its smell; no matter how tight you keep your secret, it will inevitably leak out one day.

Although they didn't discuss it in public, the matter of the widow and the chief's son soon became a public secret among the villagers. The people, mostly men, who once had a good relationship with the widow suddenly keep their distance away in fear of getting the brunt of the village chief's displeasure. The people, especially women, who had always been envious and jealous of her beauty, were happily gloating at her misfortune.

The widow and her unborn child were quickly isolated from the village.