"Yes, and no." Xu Nianhua explained, "There were a lot of people in the family, and not much income. Grandpa wanted to help us, but he had no money, and Grandma... she married Grandpa later."
"Actually, after the family split, our life was pretty good. We were poor when I was little, but my dad was really hardworking, doing carpentry for others, and he made good money. Honestly, I never really suffered much growing up." Xu Nianhua spoke genuinely—Xu Qinghe would rather eat less himself than let his wife and children go hungry.
Except for Grandma Liu Sanmei, who was mean, harsh, and liked to scold people, she really didn't go through much hardship. She always had enough to eat and wear, with two older brothers protecting her, and never got bullied.
"Nianhua, it's all my fault." Jiang Wanru blamed herself, feeling guilty. If she hadn't fainted, Jia Sufen wouldn't have managed to switch the children right under her nose.
