The 1970s: Married First, Fell in Love Later-Chapter 93 - 92: Xue Changlin Has a Secret

’So Li Wanyi married someone else and even had a child. Zheng Guofeng must know about this now. And to think of all the times he gave me the cold shoulder...’

Heh. At that thought, Li Wanqing’s mood lightened considerably.

Li Wanqing didn’t stay long, as she really needed to get back. If Wang Tianzhu found out she’d come to see Zheng Guofeng, he would probably get angry again.

"Dear, your aunt has something urgent to attend to, so I must be going. I’ll come to see you again. And this is Shumin, my daughter. You two are about the same age, so I hope you’ll get along. If you need anything, just talk to her."

Xue Yue and Wang Shumin exchanged a glance. Wang Shumin’s eyes held a hint of anticipation, and Xue Yue found that she didn’t dislike her new cousin.

After Li Wanqing left, Wang Shumin didn’t rush to leave. Instead, she trailed after Xue Yue.

Xue Yue turned to face her. Wang Shumin’s gaze darted away as she scratched the back of her head.

"W-we’re cousins... I... I just wanted to say, I really like you."

"..."

Xue Yue watched Wang Shumin’s face grow redder and redder, and she had to suppress a smile.

"I’ll come over another day." With that, Wang Shumin bolted.

Xue Yue: "..."

Back home, Ruanruan was still asleep.

That evening, He Lang and Xue Xingzhou returned together, with Xue Xingzhou carrying a bag of apples.

"Where did these come from?"

"Someone gave them to me." 𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺

"Who?" Xue Yue pressed, looking at Xue Xingzhou. Apples were hard to come by these days; the last time they’d had any was when He Lang brought some back from the provincial capital.

Xue Xingzhou shot her a look. "They’re for you to eat, that’s all that matters."

Xue Yue stared at her brother for a few moments. ’Something feels off about this!’

"Bro, what’s going on? You seeing someone?"

He Lang also looked at Xue Xingzhou, a playful grin on his face as if he were settling in for a good show.

Xue Xingzhou ignored them both and went straight over to dote on Ruanruan.

"Uncle’s here, my little darling Ruanruan."

"Agoo~" Seeing Xue Xingzhou, Ruanruan immediately reached out her little arms, asking to be held.

Xue Xingzhou scooped her up, tossed her gently into the air, caught her, and tossed her again.

A fit of giggles erupted from the little baby.

During dinner that night, Xue Yue brought up the day’s events. She hadn’t even told her brother about Zheng Guofeng before. It wasn’t for any particular reason; she just figured that since their mother was gone, her old acquaintances had nothing to do with them.

But Li Wanqing’s arrival had shattered that notion.

"One man claims he was Mom’s childhood sweetheart and that they were engaged. Another woman claims to be her biological sister. It’s been over twenty years, and suddenly two people pop out of the woodwork, both looking for Mom. I don’t know what to believe anymore."

"She says she’s Mom’s sister, but does she have any proof?" Xue Xingzhou asked, his brow furrowed.

"She said she has an old photo of Mom. I’m just... confused. Why did Mom never tell us she had family? And if she really is Li Wanqing’s sister, that means she’s from Beijing City. Why would she and Dad come all the way out here to live? They don’t have any other family here."

"That’s simple," Xue Xingzhou said. "We’ll just ask Dad."

’That’s right. Xue Changlin was part of it from the very beginning. Others might not know the truth, but he certainly does.’

"You’re right. Dad definitely knows."

It was beyond doubt that Xue Changlin was hiding a secret.

After dinner, Xue Xingzhou left.

Xue Changlin never imagined that one day, Xue Xingzhou would come asking about the past.

"Dad, you and Mom aren’t from around here, are you?"

Xue Changlin raised his eyes to look at him. "Why are you suddenly asking about this?"

"Just curious. I don’t think I’ve ever heard you or Mom mention any family or friends here. Dad... do you two have any living relatives?"

Xue Changlin fell silent for a moment before shaking his head. "None left. They’re all dead. Your mother and I fled a famine and ended up here."

"I thought you said you came here to stay with relatives."

Xue Changlin froze for a second, then nodded. "Right. Your mother and I were fleeing the famine, and we happened to have relatives here, so we stayed."

"And those relatives you mentioned... none of them are around anymore?"

Xue Changlin nodded.

Xue Xingzhou said nonchalantly, "I believe you, Dad. If that’s the case, then those people must have been lying to me. One claiming to be Mom’s fiancé and the other her own sister... coming all the way from Beijing City just to say they knew her. Tsk, tsk. A bunch of scammers."

"What did you say?" Xue Changlin shot up from his stool.

He took two steps toward Xue Xingzhou and demanded in a harsh voice, "Who came? Who told you these things?"

Xue Changlin’s expression was tense, his eyes filled with panic.

Xue Xingzhou simply watched him, his expression thoughtful.

Meeting Xue Xingzhou’s gaze, Xue Changlin instantly came to his senses, but he couldn’t worry about his own reaction right now.

"No matter who you spoke to or what they said, don’t believe them. They’re not good people."

Xue Xingzhou curled his fingers and tapped them on the table. "And who, exactly, are ’they’?"

Xue Changlin fell silent again.

After a long moment, he sank back onto the stool.

"Xingzhou, there are some things you don’t need to know. Your mother and I had our reasons... reasons we couldn’t help. This doesn’t concern you, so stay out of it and stop asking questions."

Xue Xingzhou laughed. "People are already showing up on our doorstep, and you want us to pretend we don’t know? Dad, I’m not a three-year-old. ’I’m not that easy to fool anymore.’

Xue Changlin’s excuses were so flimsy they only made him look more guilty. It made Xue Xingzhou even more suspicious of his motives. ’Is he really just afraid someone will hurt us?’

Xue Changlin’s expression darkened instantly. "I’m your father! Do you think I would hurt you?"

Xue Xingzhou gave a meaningful, humorless smile.

Xue Changlin understood the implication and suppressed the flicker of anger in his eyes.

He said patiently, "Xingzhou, whether it’s the one surnamed Li or the one surnamed Zheng, neither of them are good people. They have ulterior motives. Think about it. After all these years, why wouldn’t they have come sooner? Or later? Why show up now, at the same time?"

At that, Xue Xingzhou broke into a genuine laugh.

"Dad, I don’t believe I mentioned their surnames. How did you know one was a Zheng and the other a Li?"

Xue Changlin’s expression froze for an instant before his face hardened into a cold mask.

He stood up and said to Xue Xingzhou coldly, "I’ve said all I’m going to say. If you insist on digging until you hit rock bottom, then I have nothing more for you."

Then he turned and stalked out, his pace hurried as if he were afraid Xue Xingzhou would ask another question.

Xue Xingzhou sat alone for a long time. He was only now realizing that his father was not a simple man. All these years, he had seemed so honest and unassuming; perhaps he had been hiding his true self all along.

For a moment back there, his father had seemed like a complete stranger. What was this secret that was so unspeakable? Or was it something so shameful it couldn’t see the light of day?

This only stoked Xue Xingzhou’s curiosity. If they didn’t want him to know, then he was determined to find out exactly what was going on.

「The next morning」

Wang Shumin came to find Xue Yue, bringing a bag with her.

Xue Yue looked at her, then at the bag of snacks she placed on the table, and thought she understood what this was about.