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◎The King of Scrolls, Day Forty-Nine◎
Jiang Wanzhou leaned closer to look; the lines on the notebook were crooked, but the markings were very clear.
She suddenly felt a chill.
If I hadn't set a trap for him tonight, he might have actually succeeded.
"Don't worry." Zhou Qingyu held her hand, the warmth of his palm reassuring her. "The security department will investigate thoroughly. We just need to be extra careful."
Shen Xinglian brought over a cup of hot water and handed it to Zhou Qingyu.
Zhou Qingyu took the water glass.
The security department sent word early the next morning.
The man was from a nearby fishing village. He said someone had given him money to paint a portrait of Jiang Renzhou. As for who gave him the money, he only said "wearing a hat and a Zhongshan suit," and refused to say anything more when asked.
When Zhou Qingyu told Jiang Wanzhou the news, she was braiding Mingyuan's hair.
The comb got stuck in her hair. She paused. "A Zhongshan suit?"
"It's hard to say." Zhou Qingyu added a piece of firewood to the stove. "Old Li said he would continue to investigate. Let's wait for more news."
Zhou Qingyu followed Chen Liye and squatted in the pile of wooden crates behind warehouse number three at the dock. The sea breeze, carrying a salty smell, crept into his collar, making his fingertips numb with cold.
Chen Liye gripped the flashlight, his knuckles turning white, but his eyes were fixed on the warehouse entrance like a hawk's, not even missing the creaking sound of the wooden crates being blown by the wind.
"They're here." Chen Liye suddenly shouted in a low voice, moving closer to Zhou Qingyu.
Zhou Qingyu immediately held her breath and followed his gaze.
A figure in a Zhongshan suit slipped out of the alleyway, his steps as light as a cat's. He carried a cloth bag in his hand, looked around for a moment, and then slowly moved toward the warehouse door.
The moment the person pushed open the door, Chen Liye jumped up and shone his flashlight directly at them: "Don't move!"
The man trembled with fright, and the cloth bag fell to the ground with a "thud," scattering its contents all over the floor.
Instead of the intelligence or tools Zhou Qingyu had anticipated, there were some old fabrics, half a silver lock, and a yellowed old photograph.
"No, don't arrest me!" The man crouched on the ground, clutching his head, his voice trembling. "I'm not a bad person, I just came to find someone!"
Zhou Qingyu stepped forward and picked up the photo. It showed a young woman holding a baby, with a man in military uniform standing next to her.
Just as he was about to speak, Chen Liye suddenly exclaimed "Eh!" and squatted down to look at the man's face.
"Are you Ren Fu'an, the second son of the Ren family?" Chen Liye's voice was a little uncertain. "I am Chen Liye. I served in the reconnaissance unit with your eldest uncle back then!"
Ren Fu'an suddenly raised his head, tears washing away the dust from his face, leaving two streaks: "Uncle Chen? You still recognize me?"
He grabbed Chen Liye's arm as if it were a lifeline, "I'm looking for my cousin, and my uncle is looking for him too. They've been looking for almost twenty years!"
Zhou Qingyu stood there stunned, almost dropping the photo in her hand.
Ren Fu'an? That name sounds familiar.
Chen Liye helped him to his feet. "Didn't they say it was lost back then?"
“It’s lost, but I heard he’s on the island!” Ren Fu’an wiped away his tears and pointed to the cloth bag on the ground. “I searched all the way from my hometown and heard that there was a cadre surnamed Jiang, about my age, with a crescent-shaped birthmark on his left shoulder.”
Before he could finish speaking, Zhou Qingyu suddenly froze.
Jiang Renzhou does indeed have a crescent-shaped birthmark on his left shoulder.
He saw Jiang Renzhou when he helped change his dressings after Jiang Renzhou was injured last time!
"That cadre surnamed Jiang you mentioned..." Zhou Qingyu's voice trembled slightly, "...is his name Jiang Renzhou?"
Ren Fu'an's eyes lit up instantly, and he grabbed Zhou Qingyu's hand: "Yes, yes, yes! His name is Jiang Renzhou! You know him?"
Chen Liye was also stunned. He patted Ren Fu'an on the shoulder and said, "Don't rush. Qingyu is Jiang Renzhou's brother-in-law. We need to talk about this slowly."
He turned to Zhou Qingyu, his eyes grave. "It seems we've arrested the wrong person. He's not an enemy agent; he's here to find his family."
"But it didn't say that Brother Jiang was adopted."
Is Jiang Renzhou not the Jiang family's biological son?
Is he the Ren family's son who has been missing for twenty years?
Did Jiang's adoptive parents know? Did Jiang Renzhou himself know?
What if Wanzhou finds out that this brother isn't her biological brother?
“I drew a layout of the family compound because I wanted to know where Cadre Jiang was and find a chance to see him.” Ren Fu’an’s voice was trembling with tears. “I didn’t dare to go to him directly, afraid that I would mistake him for someone else, and also afraid that he would not recognize me. I just wanted to see the child first.”
Chen Liye sighed and looked out of the warehouse: "Old Li and the others should be here soon. I'll tell them it's a misunderstanding. But this is a military region after all, and disciplinary issues are still very serious."
He turned to Zhou Qingyu, "Qingyu, we need to talk to Jiang Renzhou about this, but we need to find a suitable time. He's currently on a mission off the island, so we shouldn't distract him."
Zhou Qingyu nodded.
When Lao Li arrived with the security personnel, he breathed a sigh of relief after hearing Chen Liye's explanation of the situation.
"So they were looking for relatives. What a waste of time!"
Ren Fu'an's tears fell again: "Thank you, thank you. We've been searching for twenty years, and we finally have news."
On the way back, Zhou Qingyu didn't say much.
Chen Liye saw through his thoughts and patted him on the shoulder: "Jiang Renzhou is a loyal and affectionate person. Even if he knows about his background, he won't disown Jiang Yatou. Don't worry too much. Talk to your family first and let them prepare."
Zhou Qingyu hummed in agreement, but she was unsure of herself.
When I got home, the yard lights were still on.
Jiang Wanzhou was sitting on the veranda sewing clothes, while Shen Xinglian was sitting next to her sewing shoe soles.
"You're back? How did it go? Did you catch them?" Jiang Wanzhou stood up immediately when she saw him, her eyes full of worry.
Zhou Qingyu sat on the stone bench, took the hot water handed to him by Shen Xinglian, took a sip, and then slowly said, "We caught them, but they're not enemy agents."
He paused, then looked at the two of them. "He's here to find his relatives; the person he's looking for is my brother."
Jiang Wanzhou dropped the needle and thread from her hand with a "thud": "Looking for my brother?"
However, the original novel did not include the scene of the male protagonist recognizing his relatives.
The male lead didn't come to the island either.
It's not surprising that the male lead was given a backstory.
Jiang Wanzhou and Shen Xinglian exchanged glances and quickly accepted it.
Zhou Qingyu placed the photo on the table. "The person who came was named Ren Fu'an. He should be my brother's second uncle's son. He said that my brother is not the Jiang family's biological son, but his eldest uncle's son who was lost years ago. He has a crescent-shaped birthmark on his left shoulder."
Shen Xinglian stopped inserting the needle, her face instantly turning pale: "What did you say? It's the Ren family's son?"
“Yes.” Zhou Qingyu nodded. “Ren Fu’an said that during the war, my brother was left in a small mountain temple. Later, when they came back to look for him, they couldn’t find him. They searched for twenty years before they heard that my brother was on the island, so they came to confirm it.”
Jiang Wanzhou feigned disbelief, her hands trembling: "Impossible. My brother grew up with me, how could he be the Ren family's son?"
Shen Xinglian grasped her hand, her voice trembling slightly: "Don't panic. We haven't confirmed this with your older brother or told anyone back home. We'll ask him slowly when he comes back from his mission. Don't make wild guesses."
"Blood ties don't determine everything. No matter what, you're still my sister."
"You and Engineer Zhou will get married soon, and you'll be arranged to live in the same residential compound."
The trees in the yard rustled in the wind, as if they were sighing softly.
The three people sat on the veranda, and none of them spoke.
Jiang Wanzhou kept her head down, her fingers unconsciously twisting the hem of her clothes, her heart far from as calm as she appeared.
The scene of Jiang Renzhou recognizing his relatives was not in the original book at all!
This has completely veered off course!
Is it the butterfly effect brought about by these two "outsiders"?
Is the appearance of the Ren family a blessing or a curse?
Will it disrupt the stable life we've finally managed to build up?
She glanced at Shen Xinglian and saw that her face was pale, clearly indicating that she was more shocked.
Looking at the two silent people, especially Jiang Wanzhou's slightly trembling shoulders, Zhou Qingyu assumed that she was unable to accept the fact that her brother might not be her blood relative, and her heart softened a little. She gently comforted her.
“Wanzhou, just like your sister-in-law said, blood ties don’t mean everything. We all know what kind of person Renzhou is. He is loyal and righteous. Even if it were true, he would never disown you as his sister, and he would never abandon this family.”
Jiang Wanzhou looked up and met his concerned gaze, feeling slightly reassured.
She nodded: "I know. I'm just a little confused for a moment."
"Only the three of us know about this right now. Before Renzhou comes back, no one can tell anyone, especially not our hometown, to avoid any complications."
Shen Xinglian looked at Zhou Qingyu, "Go and tell Uncle Chen and Old Li tomorrow to keep this a secret. Renzhou is on a mission outside, where there are no mercy for the enemy, so we can't let him be distracted by this."
“I understand,” Zhou Qingyu replied solemnly. “I’ll go first thing tomorrow morning.”
"As for Ren Fu'an," Shen Xinglian pondered for a moment, "since he's been searching for twenty years, he must have confirmed it before coming to us. Once he's calmed down, you can ask him more carefully what exactly happened back then and what solid evidence he has. We can't just draw conclusions based on his one-sided account and an old photograph."
“Okay.” Zhou Qingyu nodded.
After sitting for a while, Zhou Qingyu got up to say goodbye.
After seeing Zhou Qingyu off, only the two sisters-in-law remained in the courtyard.
Shen Xinglian pulled Jiang Wanzhou's hand back into the house, closed the door, and only then did she let down her forced composure, her brows furrowing tightly.
"Wanzhou, what do you think of this?" She was referring to this development that deviated from the original plot of the book.
Jiang Wanzhou shook her head and lowered her voice: "Xingxing, there's nothing like that in the book. Jiang Renzhou is just a native son of the Jiang family, with no special background. Where did this Ren family come from?"
"The butterfly effect?" Shen Xinglian murmured. "Because we changed the fate of 'early death' and 'maliciousness,' it affected the people around us?"
"Very likely." Jiang Wanzhou's expression was solemn. "The only question is whether the impact will be good or bad."
"That Ren family, I think it was mentioned in the book. The younger generation of the Ren family killed Mingyuan. Su Xiaomei complained that the Ren family had so many heroes, but the only child left was left without anyone to teach him, and he became a coward."
She didn't continue, but Shen Xinglian understood her concerns.
If it's just an ordinary family searching for relatives, that's fine. But if it involves some complicated background, in this sensitive era, it might not be a good thing.
"If it really is that Ren family, I will divorce Jiang Renzhou for Mingyuan's sake."
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