The key point was, why would Teacher Xie Nan ask this?
Sister Xiaocao and Teacher Xie Nan seemed to have only met once.
When Teacher Xie Nan heard this, she didn't know whether to be disappointed or relieved.
What kind of answer was she expecting?
Wasn't Su Xiaocao the biological daughter of Su Changjiu?
How could that be possible?
In that era, every household lacked even enough food to fill their stomachs, and a single grain of rice could save a life.
If she wasn't her own daughter, who would be willing to raise another person's child and waste food?
If it were a couple who had no children, that would be understandable.
But Su Changjiu already had two sons, so how could he possibly adopt another person's daughter?
She was overthinking it!
Her child was probably gone!
Thinking of that poor child, Teacher Xie Nan's face was filled with sadness, and her complexion turned a few shades paler.
Su Xiaotian was observing Teacher Xie Nan.
She found it strange as she watched the changes on Teacher Xie Nan's face.
Why did she see pain on Teacher Xie Nan's face? It was an inexpressible pain.
Heart-wrenching!
"Teacher Xie, are you alright?" Su Xiaotian asked, supporting Teacher Xie Nan.
Teacher Xie Nan took a deep breath and walked towards a bench under the shade of a tree.
Su Xiaotian, not understanding, could only follow.
Teacher Xie Nan sat on the bench, her gaze fixed on the distance, as if piercing through layers of obstruction to look at a place no one else could see.
Su Xiaotian could feel Teacher Xie Nan's disappointment and sadness at that moment. She didn't understand why simply asking about Su Xiaocao's situation would make Teacher Xie Nan so upset.
"Xiaotian, would you be willing to listen to me tell a story?"
Teacher Xie Nan did not look at Su Xiaotian, her gaze still fixed on the distant horizon.
"Teacher Xie, please speak!"
Being a listener, if it could make Teacher Xie feel a little better, Su Xiaotian was very willing.
Teacher Xie began to tell a story slowly.
There was a girl, born into a scholarly family, intelligent from a young age, well-read and sensible, doted on by her parents.
Unfortunately, in her thirteenth year, she lost her mother, and two years later, at fifteen, she lost her father.
From then on, the girl who was once held in her parents' hands became an unwanted orphan.
Having lost her parents, the girl had to drop out of school and live with her sister-in-law and brother.
Her sister-in-law disliked her, considering her a burden. Not only did she make her work every day, but sometimes she didn't even provide enough food or warm clothes.
Her brother turned a blind eye, neglecting his only sister, and often showed obvious disdain, speaking to her rudely.
The girl had an arranged marriage, but it was broken off due to the death of her parents.
And the person the other party remarried was none other than the younger sister of the girl's sister-in-law.
The girl was unwilling. At that age, full of youthful spirit, she wanted to get to the bottom of it.
She finally met her former fiancé.
The man, with a string of sweet talk, said that this was a decision made by his parents, and that he liked her, and so on.
In short, the simple young girl was deceived by the man, mistaking his lies for the truth, believing that the man genuinely liked her.
It was just that due to family circumstances, he had to get engaged to another woman.
Just as the girl learned she was pregnant, she heard the news that the man was going to marry someone else.
In despair, the girl attempted suicide by jumping into a river, but was washed ashore three times.
Finally, the girl gave up the idea of suicide, begged for alms along the way, and eventually gave birth to a daughter.
When Su Xiaotian heard this, she understood that Teacher Xie Nan was telling her own story.
And now Teacher Xie Nan suspected that Sister Xiaocao was her daughter. Su Dan Novel Network
"Teacher Xie, are you talking about your story?"
Although she had already guessed that Teacher Xie Nan was talking about her own story, Su Xiaotian still felt that she should clarify.
After all, this matter also involved Sister Xiaocao.
By speaking out these matters that had been weighing on her for over twenty years, Teacher Xie Nan suddenly felt much lighter and more at ease.
However, the piercing pain of losing her daughter still caused her extreme agony.
"It's my own story. I was young and couldn't judge people, which not only harmed myself but also my daughter. To atone for my sins, I never married, and I always hoped to find my daughter."
As Teacher Xie Nan spoke, she couldn't help but cover her face, tears flowing down through her fingers.
So many years had passed, and she thought the pain had disappeared, but she never expected it to truly fade from her heart.
She could never let it go.
"I searched for many years, but I never found any trace of my daughter. Later, the situation became increasingly difficult, and I had to give up looking for her."
When Teacher Xie Nan said this, her voice was so choked with emotion that it was almost unintelligible.
When she couldn't even protect herself, she had to give up searching for her daughter. In the past two years, she had inquired, but there was no news.
Subconsciously, she actually felt that her daughter must have passed away.
After all, she was just a tiny being, and in such circumstances.
Even adults had little hope of survival, let alone a tiny newborn infant.
"After seeing Xiaocao, I always felt that she had some connection to me. But even you said that you had never heard that Xiaocao was adopted."
If she wasn't adopted, then she had no relation to me.
Su Xiaotian didn't know how to comfort Xie Nan.
She felt that anything she said would be wrong, so she could only silently take out a small handkerchief and help Teacher Xie Nan wipe away her tears.
Teacher Xie Nan herself did not expect to lose control and cry in front of a child.
"Xiaotian, you've seen my embarrassing side."
Over the years, these matters had been suppressed in her heart, never spoken to anyone.
If she hadn't found Su Xiaocao, who bore a slight resemblance to her, perhaps she would never have mentioned this matter in her life.
Perhaps, all of this would have been forgotten as she gradually grew old.
"Teacher Xie, you and Sister Xiaocao do resemble each other a bit, but I don't know if Sister Xiaocao is truly Uncle Changjiu's biological daughter."
This was something she would have to inquire about at home, but Su Xiaotian felt that, most likely, Sister Xiaocao would be Uncle Changjiu's biological daughter.
In that case, would Teacher Xie Nan be very disappointed?
After thinking it over and over, Su Xiaotian added, "Teacher Xie, does your daughter have any distinctive birthmarks?"
She didn't know if paternity testing existed in this era, but even if it did, it probably wasn't available in China yet, and it would take many more years for paternity tests to be done.
Could Teacher Xie Nan wait for many years before finding her daughter?
Under these backward conditions, perhaps a birthmark that was present from birth was the only way to confirm their relationship.
Xie Nan did not hesitate and said directly, "I still remember, she has a cinnabar mole on her waist."