The wild boar ran off, and the woman dropped her wooden pitchfork, grabbing Edward Clark into her arms, wailing as if a pig were being slaughtered.

“My son, if anything happens to you, how is your mother supposed to go on living? You wretched child, what were you doing up the mountain before dawn? You scared your mother to death…”

Edward Clark stared blankly at the woman whose face was smeared with tears and snot. Somehow, his heart felt incredibly warm. He then raised his hand to wipe the sweat, tears, and snot from her face, but the more he wiped, the more there seemed to be. Pressed tightly against her chest, he could feel her wildly pounding heart.

“Mother, I’m fine. These pigs are my friends.”

The woman continued to wail loudly, hugging Edward Clark with all her strength, as if she wanted to press him into her own body.

No matter what Edward Clark said, she didn’t hear a word. Fear had seized her mind; all she wanted was to protect her lost-and-found son in her embrace.

After a moment, she came to her senses, wiped her face, and, still holding Edward Clark, glared fiercely at the men and said, “Was it you who lured my son here?”

A man in a blue robe helplessly cupped his hands and said, “Madam Yun, this really has nothing to do with us. Your young son isn’t well; he’s always liked running up the mountain. How can you blame us for this?”

When Mary Clark heard this, her anger flared even more. She pointed at the leading man and said, “Mark Clark, it must have been you! You’ve been scheming against this widow and orphan for ages. Now you want my son dead so you can adopt your idiot son in his place, is that it?

Let me tell you clearly: even if something happens to my son, don’t even think about it! I’d rather burn down the Yun family estate than leave you a single coin!”

Mark Clark shouted angrily, “You gave birth to a fool and have already disgraced the Yun family! Over these years, how much of the Yun family’s land, waterways, hills, and firewood forests have been taken over by the Qian family?

It’s because our clan leader is a fool! Adopting my son to you isn’t as dirty as you think—it’s for the sake of the Yun family, so we won’t be bullied anymore.”

Mary Clark sneered, “And your son is better than mine?”

Mark Clark snorted, “If you love your son so much, let’s hear him call you ‘mother’!”

Mary Clark glanced nervously at the son in her arms, only to find him smiling at her, his big black eyes sparkling as he crisply called out, “Mother!”

Mary Clark was overjoyed, hugging Edward Clark tightly, showering his face with kisses. After she’d had her fill, she laughed and said to Mark Clark, “If anyone dares call my son a fool again, I’ll tear their mouth apart and take back all the land we rent to you. Let you heartless paupers starve!”

Mark Clark stared hard at Edward Clark in Mary Clark’s arms. After a long moment, he cupped his hands and said, “So what if he can call you mother? Only being able to read and write counts!”

Edward Clark, hugging his mother’s neck and avoiding Mark Clark’s gaze, said, “Mother, can I start studying with the teacher tomorrow?”

“Yes, yes, yes! Tomorrow I’ll get you the best teacher!”

A smile rose from the base of Mary Clark’s neck, quickly spreading through her whole body and finally blooming on her face. Somehow, her thin arms managed to lift the chubby Edward Clark high into the air. Using all her strength, she shouted at the men present, “My son is going to study! My son is not a fool!”

Mark Clark was stunned. After a long while, he muttered, “Your son is possessed! I saw it just now—he was talking to the wild boar spirit. He’s a monster!”

Mary Clark giggled, “Even if he is possessed, it’s by the spirit of the Yun ancestors! The old ancestors saw how pitiful this widow and orphan were, so they sent this wild boar spirit to enlighten my son.

Mark Clark, listen to me: from today on, all the paddy fields your family rents are taken back. If you want to eat, go dig for food on the dry hills. If you dare slander my son again, I’ll invoke the clan law and beat you to death!”

Mark Clark shouted angrily, “The Yun family doesn’t belong to you alone!”

Mary Clark sneered, “Even if you want to open the ancestral hall, you’ll have to wait until next autumn. Let’s see if you can survive the lean months until then.”

With that, she carried Edward Clark down the barren hill ahead of everyone else. Her heart was bursting with joy, her eyes never leaving her son’s face. She walked as if the wind was at her feet, wishing she could leap straight back to Yun Village to announce to everyone that her son was not a fool.

Edward Clark lay in his mother’s arms, resting his head on her shoulder, watching the wild boars that had already rounded the foot of the mountain. He waved to them from afar, bidding them farewell.

From today on, he would completely open his heart and fully merge with this body.

From today on, he would be this woman’s son, named—Edward Clark!

Chapter Two: Family is really just a process of mutual comfort

For Chinese mothers, the greatest purpose of having a son seems to be to show off, to bring honor to their faces—just like a hen, after laying an enormous egg, always has to cluck loudly a few times.

Mary Clark was no exception.

Her six-year-old son could finally speak, and she felt it was worth celebrating across the land.

“Son, you can talk now?”

“Yes!”

“Then why don’t you say anything?”

“Don’t feel like it…”

“You should at least talk to your mother! All these years you never spoke, I thought you couldn’t talk!”