VIP Chapter 104: The Black Box

My parents were out, likely taking a stroll through the orchard. Ever since they leased that land, they had abandoned all their other farm work, spending every spare moment wandering among the trees.

After a restless night, Ye Xiaoxuan’s eyes were heavy with fatigue. He had just turned to head to his room for a nap when a thought struck him: the black wooden chest from the night before.

Why not take this perfect opportunity to see what kind of treasure was hidden inside? To be safe, he ran to the front gate and carefully slid the bolt shut.

Returning to the main bedroom, Ye Xiaoxuan took a few deep breaths, forcing his racing heart to slow. He lifted the bedsheet and peeked underneath—the black chest was still there.

He checked the front gate through the window one more time. Seeing no one, he let out a long sigh of relief, bent down, and dragged the chest out from under the bed.

The key! Where was the key? Ye Xiaoxuan paced frantically, tearing through drawers and tossing pillows aside, but it was nowhere to be found. Had his parents taken it with them?

His gaze landed on a pair of ragged cotton shoes on the bed frame. It was already the wrong season for such heavy footwear, so why were they still out? He reached inside and felt something—a ring of keys. He pulled them out, and sure enough, they were the very same ones his mother had used the night before.

The mystery that had haunted him for eighteen years was finally about to be unraveled. He could feel his hands trembling uncontrollably.

The historic moment had arrived. With the key inserted into the lock, his heart felt ready to burst. He lifted the lid with shaking fingers, but the sight before him left him stunned.

He hadn’t seen clearly the night before, but now, in the box—roughly the size of a 17-inch television set—he saw nothing but baby clothes.

There weren't many items. One piece was a fur garment, perhaps mink, meant to wrap a child. Beside it lay a pair of bright red "cloud-stepping" boots, no bigger than half his palm.

The rest were strange fragments: thick, hard pieces of pottery, each about the size of a palm, perhaps a dozen in all. He had no idea what kind of vessel they had once belonged to.

Then, there was the smaller, key box. He found the corresponding key and opened it to find a silk-like bib, shorter than a face towel, and the purple bracelet. That was all. He searched every inch of the chests, but there was nothing else.

Ye Xiaoxuan sat on the floor, disappointed. He couldn't fathom why his parents guarded this pile of junk like a family heirloom.

Could the pottery shards be valuable? Even though he knew nothing about antiques, he knew that broken pottery was worthless. It wasn't as if they were oracle bones; why would anyone care about a pile of old dirt?

The higher the expectations, the deeper the disappointment. He had imagined something precious, perhaps ancient scrolls or secret manuals, but this was nothing but a heap of trash. No one would even bother to pick these up off the street. Why treat them as treasures? Why forbid him from seeing them? Unless...

He recalled his mother’s strange reaction the night before when he had jokingly asked if he’d ever had siblings. A thought occurred to him.

Was his assumption correct? Had he truly had brothers or sisters who passed away, leaving these items behind as mementos? Was she keeping them hidden only to spare herself the pain?

It seemed like the only logical explanation. Disappointed, he began to pack the items away. Just as he was about to close the lid, he noticed an embroidered pattern on the bib.

He picked it up. In the bottom left corner was a design: a small airplane hovering above what looked like the number "8."

What could it mean? He stared at it for a long time, then his eyes lit up. It was the ancient seal script character for "Xuan."

It was his own name! Could these have been his clothes as an infant?

He hurriedly pulled out the mink cloak and the cloud-stepping boots. Sure enough, in various spots, each bore the same crimson seal-script "Xuan."

Ye Xiaoxuan’s brow furrowed into a knot. He went back and forth between the bib and the cloak, his mind flooded with questions.

Were these his? If so, they were certainly sentimental, but why hide them from him? And if they weren't his, whose were they? Were they truly the keepsakes of a deceased sibling?

Furthermore, what were these items made of? The fabric was unlike anything he had ever seen, and the style was entirely different from any baby clothes he had encountered.

He was so lost in thought that he didn't hear the gate bolt being slid back. He only realized someone was home when his father appeared in the doorway, leaning on his cane. It was too late to put everything back.

Since he had been caught, Ye Xiaoxuan decided to be bold. He held up the bib and asked, "Dad, whose things are these?"

The moment his father saw the open chest, his face drained of color. He started to raise his cane to strike, but at the question, his facial muscles twitched. He looked away and muttered, "Put them back! Your mother is right behind me. If she catches you rummaging through her chest, she’ll break your legs!"

Ye Xiaoxuan stood up, clutching the bib. "Even if Mom comes back, I want an answer! I’ve always felt you were hiding something from me. If you don't tell me, I won't be able to sleep tonight!"

His father sighed, leaned his cane against the bed, and lay down, staring at the door. "Old woman, he’s seen it all. It’s up to you whether to tell him or not."

Jiang Guihua had just entered the room. Seeing the black chest open, she felt a sudden rush of dizziness. Her knees buckled, and she nearly fell.

Ye Xiaoxuan rushed to catch her and helped her into a chair. "Mom, I’m eighteen! I’m not a child anymore. Why can’t you tell me? Can you really keep this from me forever?"

Jiang Guihua’s face was ashen. She looked at him with desperation. "If we tell you about your origins, will you leave us to find your real parents?"

Ye Xiaoxuan was stunned. He stared at her, eyes wide. "What did you say? My real parents? What do you mean?"

Jiang Guihua realized she had slipped up. She looked at her husband on the bed. He sighed and turned to face the wall. Tears streaming down her face, Jiang Guihua whispered, "We are not your real parents. We found you at Daxian Lake and brought you home."