Abandoned by All I Took It All Back novel Chapter 73

Janina looked at the man smiling at her. He was tall and stood straight, with a purity in his eyes and a genuine warmth in his smile. She returned the smile.

"I'm your oldest brother, Easton," he introduced himself.

"Easton, hurry up and bring your younger sister inside." Seeing him standing there like a clumsy oaf, Grace gave him a gentle push.

"Right. Sister, come on in. I'll show you our home." Easton set the basket he was carrying down by the left side of the door.

Janina glanced at the basket. It was filled with some sort of grass, probably for feeding pigs.

Easton pushed his mother's wheelchair as he led Janina into the house.

Janina took in the layout. The ground floor had a kitchen, a living room, and a storage room.

The kitchen had a wood-burning stove; there wasn't even a gas range. Three large pots were built into the stovetop.

If she guessed correctly, the two pots on the left were for cooking meals, while the one on the far right was exclusively for boiling pig feed.

She had lived in a house just like this in the countryside.

It was old, with hard-packed earth for a floor.

Though it was a bit run-down, the house was clean and surprisingly spacious.

Grace looked up at Janina, her face full of shame. "Nina, you've come back… I'm so sorry you have to endure this."

"I know you've always lived in the big city, accustomed to the life of a rich young lady. I'm sorry. Your father and I… we weren't capable enough to give you a better life."

Grace's voice grew softer with each word, the guilt and self-blame weighing heavily on her. Her children had suffered because of her. She wheeled herself closer to Janina and tentatively reached for her hand.

"Once I sell the wheat and rice harvests, I'll give you some money. Don't worry, you won't go hungry now that you're home," Easton said, his voice steady. As the eldest, he had taken on the family's burden.

"Oh, I see," Janina said flatly, while internally she was screaming.

Oh my god! They're so poor! And they had so many kids!!

It was true what they said: the poorer you are, the more kids you have.

Janina's head was about to explode.

What kind of script had she been given?

This was nothing like what you see on TV. Usually, the story goes: the long-lost child returns home to find several super-rich brothers, and she becomes the treasured baby of the family.