Fang Yan suddenly remembered that on the day of the Mid-Autumn Festival, Xu Zhimin had shown a surprised expression when he saw the little fish.
Could it be that Xu Zhimin knew him...?
No, Little Fish is just a three-year-old kid.
The farthest place they went was after she transmigrated, when she took him to the county town every day to sell braised food.
He only had the chance to go to the county town. Where would Xu Zhimin have gotten to know Xiaoyuzai?
Recalling Xu Zhimin's question earlier, Fang Yan couldn't help but ask in return, "Do you think my son looks like someone you know?"
Judging from the question Xu Zhimin just asked, it's not hard to guess that he doesn't know Zhang Jizhou at all.
If he knew Zhang Jizhou or had met him, he wouldn't have asked questions like whether Xiaoyuzai looked like his father.
Xu Zhimin was surprised that Fang Yan would ask him a question in return. He paused for a second, then looked at her with interest and smiled, "You really never fail to surprise me."
What kind of talk is that?
Fang Yan didn't understand, so she didn't respond.
If Fang Yan were truly just a short-sighted, narrow-minded village woman, she should answer her own questions.
Even if one is wary, the most one should do is defensively remain silent.
Fang Yan, however, countered with a question, still hoping to glean information from him.
How could such a woman be a mindless, cowardly, and uneducated village woman?
"Yes, your son looks a lot like someone I know."
Xu Zhimin stopped hiding it, but then took a turn in his tone, "However, that person sacrificed himself more than 20 years ago."
sacrifice.
Fang Yan noticed that Xu Zhimin used the word "sacrifice," indicating that the person was a member of the state.
"The world is so big, and there are so many people. Sometimes, it's inevitable that there will be one or two people who are somewhat similar in their eyes and expressions. There's nothing to be surprised about, is there?"
Although Fang Yan suspected that Zhang Laowu was not Zhang Jizhou's biological father.
But since the matter hasn't been verified yet, she can't just spread it around.
Xu Zhimin was stunned again. Wasn't this the same thing he had said to Zhang Xiuying yesterday to brush her off?
Otherwise, he was certain that no one could eavesdrop on his conversation within a ten-meter radius.
Otherwise, he would have suspected that Fang Yan had overheard him.
"Was that old man surnamed Zhang Xiaoyuzai's grandfather?"
After being speechless for a moment by her words, Xu Zhimin asked again.
Fang Yan pondered for a moment, "Nominally yes."
In name only...?
Xu Zhimin's eyes lit up, but then he heard Fang Yan continue, "Because now, I'm unilaterally severing ties with him."
Damn!
An old man who was always scheming to get her money and was plotting with others to sell her to the mountains.
He also wants her son to call him "Grandpa"?
He should go eat shit!
Fang Yan would not deliberately distort the facts to make Xiao Yuzai hate anyone in the Zhang family.
But she wouldn't cover up for Zhang Laowu's misdeeds. She would tell Xiaoyuzai all about it when he was a few years older.
She believed that, given Xiaoyuzai's current dislike for Zhang Laowu, he would never acknowledge such a grandfather when he grew up.
Sure enough, the light in Xu Zhimin's eyes flashed brightly, and then dimmed just as quickly.
Some topics just have to be brought up eventually.
After considering it for a moment, he finally spoke, "Um... I don't think Xiaoyu looks like that guy surnamed Zhang at all, nor does he look much like you. If he looks like his father, then you haven't considered..."
He slowed down his speech slightly as he said this, thinking that Fang Yan might interrupt at any moment.
However, he spoke only halfway through, slowing down his speech to the minimum, and seeing that Fang Yan had no intention of interrupting.
He then resumed his normal speaking pace and continued, "Perhaps, Zhang Jizhou and this old man surnamed Zhang are not biological father and son."
Although Xu Zhimin had saved her and Xiaoyu twice, Fang Yan didn't know him well, even though the matter between Zhang Laowu and Zhang Jizhou had been verified.
She couldn't possibly discuss this with someone she didn't know well.
Moreover, this matter has not yet been confirmed.
"Appearance inheritance is a matter of probability, let alone skipping a generation. It's too hasty to suspect blood relations based on just one person not looking alike."
Fang Yan's performance exceeded his expectations time and time again, and Xu Zhimin no longer regarded her as an ordinary village woman.
Now, people no longer react with the same shock and surprise to what Fang Yan says as they did at the beginning.
"If the appearance is not similar, that's not enough to explain the problem. Then we should investigate it."
Fang Yan: ...
You're talking as if this is your own business.
But this has absolutely nothing to do with you, right?
She made no attempt to hide her speechless expression.
Xu Zhimin understood her expression and then explained, "It's like this, an elder I know, whose eldest son disappeared more than 20 years ago after participating in a secret mission. It was later confirmed that he had sacrificed his life not long after his disappearance."
"Xiaoyuzai's eyebrows and eyes, as well as his demeanor, are very similar to the uncle I knew who sacrificed his life."
"You just said that the world is so big and there are so many people, it's normal to have one or two similar people."
I don't think so. Even people related by blood don't necessarily look alike, let alone those not related by blood.
Fang Yan, holding Xiao Yuzai's hand, just watched him quietly as he talked on and on.
She knew that Xu Zhimin must have had his reasons for saying all that.
Sure enough, just as this thought crossed my mind, I heard Xu Zhimin say, "If you agree, could you give me a few hairs with the follicles still attached?"
DNA testing?
Fang Yan knew that DNA testing technology had been available in China for a long time.
However, it is not yet widely used.
To put it bluntly, even law enforcement agencies are not yet able to use this technology.
Let alone ordinary people?
Therefore, it can be concluded that Xu Zhimin is not an ordinary person.
So that's why he's been so reluctant to report the whereabouts of the family of the uncle who sacrificed his life.
What if Zhang Jizhou and Xiaoyuzai aren't the people they're looking for, and they won't be able to shake them off?
Perhaps, that's not what they think.
But it was clear that Fang Yan had already made up her mind. She was slightly displeased, but she didn't show it on her face, which was understandable.
Wealthy families generally dislike being targeted by poor people, fearing they might be taken advantage of.
"I'm sorry, I can't make this decision on my own. I need to discuss it with the child's father before I can give you an answer."
Out of consideration for Xu Zhimin's past help, she politely declined.
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