Natural Disaster: Back to the End of the World

Part 8

Yao Ziqing had never met his parents. According to Grandma, when he was two years old, his mother passed away and entrusted him to someone to be sent to the village.

As for his father, Grandma had never hidden the truth: his mother was never married, and no one knew who the father was except for the deceased mother.

His surname Yao wasn't from his father but was taken from his mother, Yao Yuman.

Grandma Yao Xiping was his mother's aunt, so technically, he should call her "great-aunt."

When Yao Yuman's mother gave birth to her, she bled heavily and couldn't be saved. When Yao Yuman was eleven, her father also passed away from illness. After that, Yao Xiping took care of Yao Yuman.

Yao Xiping had married into the Lei family in Lei Village. Her younger brother and sister-in-law had both passed away, leaving no relatives in her family.

Fortunately, her husband, Lei Hongyi, was a very good man who didn't mind taking in his niece Yao Yuman to live with them.

Later, Yao Yuman went to a big city to work after reaching adulthood. She would send money back every year, but Yao Xiping saved all of it to be Yao Yuman's dowry for the future.

Yao Xiping had only one son, who, after suffering from illness, couldn't have any more children.

Fortunately, her daughter-in-law gave birth to three healthy boys. Although the family faced difficulties, they managed to get by with hard work.

One morning, after her son and daughter-in-law left, they never came back.

The loss of her child in old age was a heavy blow that the elderly couple struggled to bear, but with three young grandsons to care for, they persevered.

Yao Xiping never told Yao Yuman about these hardships. First, Yao Yuman was struggling in the city as a young woman, and second, communication was difficult back then; only the village committee had a telephone. Apart from receiving money occasionally from Yao Yuman, there wasn't much contact.

Lei Hongyi was already old. To afford his grandsons' education, he worked tirelessly. One day, he fell from a mountain and didn't last long after that.

At that time, the eldest grandchild, Lei Li, was eight years old, and Lei Xiao was just six. The family's changes forced the originally mischievous children to mature prematurely.

The maturity of the two eldest grandsons pained Yao Xiping. The youngest, Lei Lang, was only two and didn't understand much. Despite the repeated blows, this unfortunate woman managed to hold her family together for her grandsons.

But the next year, as if unable to escape misfortune, her niece passed away, leaving behind a clueless Yao Ziqing who had lost both parents at a young age.

Even though life was difficult, Yao Xiping never considered giving away one or two of the children.

Yao Ziqing was very good-looking as a child. When he was first sent to the village, many people came to see him, having never seen such a delicate child.

Many families who couldn't have children or wanted boys even tried to buy Yao Ziqing.

Yao Xiping firmly refused, saying she would support them no matter the cost, even if she had to sell her own blood.

Fortunately, they managed to get through the toughest times with the dowry saved for Yao Yuman and the help of the villagers. As the children grew, life began to improve.

Yao Ziqing didn't remember much about his early childhood. By the time he had any memory, life at home was already improving.

People often told him how great his grandmother was and how she endured hardships, making him feel grateful and wanting to be filial.