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Huo Yingjie thought for a moment. Zhou Bing wouldn't have come looking for him for no reason, so he wanted to find out the truth.
"Did your mother acknowledge that he was your uncle?" Huo Yingjie asked. The Huo family and the Zhou family had a blood feud, and he really didn't want to become enemies with Zhou Yuanchao one day.
“My mother has already said that he is my uncle. However, he and my father are half-brothers,” Zhou Yuanchao said. “He has visited me a few times and said some things. But what he said today was a bit strange. He told me to be careful of the Huo family, saying that the Huo family and the Zhou family have a blood feud.”
Although Yan Cui was talking to He Tiantian, she also heard her son's words.
My son's achievements today are largely due to Fok Ying-chieh's help. It can be said that without Fok Ying-chieh, my son would not have achieved what he has today.
Although Yan Cui didn't talk much, she was well aware of the situation. She couldn't just stand by and watch her son be misled by those with ulterior motives.
Back when the Zhou family was at its peak, they didn't benefit from it at all. Now that their son has finally achieved success, the Zhou family is saying that the Huo family are their enemies and cannot work for Huo Yingjie.
Don't they remember when their family couldn't make a living in Nanshi back then? They never came to claim their relatives!
Now you're coming to claim kinship? Where were you before?
“Yuanchao, don’t take what that person said to heart,” Yan Cui said. “Yingjie and Tiantian are here today, so I’ll tell you about our family’s past.”
Zhou Yuanchao had wanted to know for a long time, but his mother had never told him before.
"Mom, tell me, I also want to know how an uncle suddenly appeared out of nowhere and made me go against the eldest son. What grudge does our family have against the Huo family? How come I don't know anything about it?"
Wang Ying and He Tiantian looked at each other, unaware that there was more to the story.
Yan Cui smiled bitterly and said, "Son, those were all things of the past. I didn't tell you because I didn't want you to be troubled or harbor hatred."
"Mom, just tell me already." Zhou Yuanchao was impatient and couldn't wait any longer.
Judging from the mother's tone, it seemed quite serious.
This is terrible!
Seeing her son's anxiety, Yan Cui wiped away her tears and said, "These stories all started with your grandmother, who told me before she passed away. After your grandmother gave birth to your father, your grandfather went to join the army. Many years passed without any news. After liberation, the villagers who had served with your grandfather returned, and your grandmother learned that he had become a high-ranking official in Beijing. Your grandmother took your father to Beijing to look for him, but they discovered that your grandfather had remarried and had a child, your uncle Zhou Bing. Your grandmother was a woman of principle, and she made a huge scene..." After that, I took your father back to Nanshi. Later, your father and I got married, and everything was fine until your father was delivering goods when his truck overturned, and he was seriously injured. Although the factory contributed some money, it wasn't enough, and we sold everything we could, but it still wasn't enough. Your grandmother went to Yanjing again to try and save your father, but she couldn't get a single penny. Your father succumbed to his injuries and passed away. Your grandmother was heartbroken, and coupled with the humiliation she suffered in Yanjing, even this strong-willed old lady couldn't bear it, and she passed away six months after your father's death.
At this point, Yan Cui was already sobbing uncontrollably.
“Mom, that Zhou Bing who came these past few days isn’t my uncle, he’s our family’s enemy,” Zhou Yuanchao said. “My father, well, let’s not talk about him, he was injured after all. But Grandmother, you said she was healthy, but she passed away within six months. She must have died of anger!”
"I...I..." Yan Cui was speechless for a moment when she heard her son's complaints and remembered the sad things from back then.
Huo Yingjie frowned and said, "Yuanchao, don't be in a hurry. Let your aunt calm down for a while before you speak slowly. There must be a reason why your aunt is not speaking."
Even though Zhou Yuanchao was very anxious, he couldn't keep pressuring his mother.
Over the years, my mother has endured so much hardship, taking her away from her hometown all by herself. There must be a deeper reason behind this.
"Waaah..." Yan Cui sobbed softly, trying to hold back her grief.
Wang Ying took out a handkerchief from her bag and handed it to Yan Cui, saying, "Mom, wipe your tears. It's all over now. We need to look forward. Don't be afraid. We have someone to rely on now. The eldest brother won't abandon us. You don't need to be afraid. Things will eventually pass."
Wang Ying had sensed something was wrong with her mother-in-law's absent-mindedness these past few days.
She asked her mother-in-law, but her mother-in-law wouldn't tell her, so she stopped asking.
I never imagined that my mother-in-law had so many secrets hidden in her heart.
After a while, Yan Cui finally calmed down and slowly said, "After your father and grandmother passed away one after another, I went to work alone with Yuanchao. I used to be the factory accountant, but I was framed and lost my job. I went to the leader and begged him to give me a job. He took pity on me and transferred me to the animal husbandry department to do cleaning. He also told me not to make any more trouble because I had offended someone. If I made any more trouble, I wouldn't even have a cleaning job."
Zhou Yuanchao could imagine how difficult it must have been for his mother to be all alone back then.
"And then?" Zhou Yuanchao couldn't help but ask, his nose tingling with emotion.
"I thought about it for a long time afterward. I'm not usually talkative, but I haven't offended anyone. I remembered your mother-in-law's dying wish was for me to raise you well and not to go to Yanjing to seek justice, so I just stayed in Nanshi," Yan Cui said. "Later, I guessed that people in Yanjing might have been trying to trip me up. Poor widow and orphan, we couldn't possibly fight against those big shots. Just then, your stepfather came with his superiors to deliver a batch of breeding cattle and worked at my workplace for six months. That's when we met. He often saw me doing such heavy work and helped me. I thought that I would eventually break down here; it was just too tiring. I wasn't afraid of dying, but when I thought about how Yuanchao would only be three years old and I had no relatives, wouldn't you be eaten by the people in Yanjing? So I went to Mongolia with your stepfather. Although it was tough there, at least I didn't have to worry about being bullied or ostracized. Your stepfather was a good man; he treated you like his own daughter. Later, Qiqige was born, and our family became even warmer."
"Mom, why didn't you tell me?" Zhou Yuanchao choked up. "Aren't you suffering from keeping so many secrets in your heart?"
Yan Cui smiled bitterly and said, "We've been doing well all these years. I don't want you to be blinded by hatred. I'm relieved that you're doing well. That day I met Zhou Bing, he recognized me, found out about you, and that's why he came here. Don't blame me, Yuan Chao, I didn't expect things to turn out this way either."
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