Chapter 69 Xie Xuan: "That's true..."
Xie Xuan: "That's true. Xie Xun was dark-skinned, weak, and stupid when he was young. He was so ugly that it was unbearable to look at him. He really didn't grow up well and didn't inherit any of the good qualities."
Lu Li glanced at Xie Xuan, "How dare you speak like that?"
Xie Xuan: "Didn't you ask me? I'm just telling the truth."
Lu Li was lost in her own thoughts, but when she heard Xie Xuan say that about the second child, she felt uncomfortable. "But wasn't he born from you?" She opened the bookshelf and picked out two slightly yellowed photo albums.
This is a photo of Xie Yun and Xie Xun when they were children.
Turning to the first page, the date is recorded: April 16, 1977, three days.
Two swaddled babies lay side by side in the crib, sleeping soundly.
This is the first photo I took at home after being discharged from the hospital; the two children were just three days old.
Xie Xuan pointed to the blue swaddle on the right: "Look, Xie Yun is so fair and cute, while Xie Xun is dark and pale. My grandma said Xie Xun looks like my great-grandma."
Lu Li had never met Xie Xuan's great-grandmother, but her mother-in-law had said that she was a mean, mean, and vicious old woman.
Lu Li reached out and touched the two babies in the photo. Both babies were a little thin. The older one weighed 3.6 jin and the younger one weighed 3.3 jin. The older one, Xie Yun, was very beautiful. Her eyebrows and eyes were like a painting, her skin was fair and tender, her eyelashes were long, her nose was straight, and her lips were pink.
The second child, Xie Xun, wasn't particularly handsome. He had a lot of baby hair, some reddish and some black, making him look like a monkey, and his features were quite ordinary. Actually, many babies look like that, but when he lay next to Xie Yun, he looked especially ugly.
The two babies lay together, looking nothing like children from the same family.
Some people also asked if the second child was adopted from a comrade's family.
Lu Li continued flipping through the pages, taking photos almost every day: the fourth day, the fifth day, the tenth day, and the full moon.
On the full moon, the two lay in a basket, surrounded by snake dolls, and the two children were dressed in red clothes embroidered with snakes.
The two children have grown up and look nothing alike.
No one in the family would mistake the child. Xie Yun was even more handsome, having gained weight and had bright, sparkling eyes. He was especially cute and looked a lot like Lu Li.
Xie Xun was still quite dark-skinned and had gained a lot of weight. It was said that he resembled the deceased old lady of the Xie family, Xie Xuan's great-grandmother.
The next picture was of Xie Yun with her eyebrows furrowed, which made Lu Li laugh.
Xie Yun was somewhat aloof, but his little hands were surprisingly strong, always pushing away Xie Xun who clung to him. Occasionally, when he was asleep, he would hug Xie Xun's cheek and kiss him, but Xie Xun would quickly let go, and he would frown and look unhappy.
I gradually came across photos from when I was one year old.
On April 13, 1978, one-year-old Xie Yun and Xie Xun wore birthday hats and made a wish.
Lu Li had already flipped to the third photo album. She had recorded every little detail about her two children. When she saw the photos, she could recall the scenes from that time. Those past events were still vivid in her mind, as if they had happened just yesterday.
Xie Xuan: "We'll see tomorrow. Let's go to sleep first. We haven't slept for over twenty hours." He pulled Lu Li into bed, and he quickly fell asleep.
Lu Li wasn't sleepy at all. She got up and continued looking at the photo album until midnight. The children were 16 years old, and Xie Yun had been admitted to a military academy.
Xie Yun was beautiful and smart. She was mischievous from a young age, leading the children in the compound to play everywhere. She never ranked second in exams, and she never lost a fight. She skipped grades all the way, and at the age of 16, she took the college entrance examination and was admitted to a military academy.
Xie Xun was a normal kid. He was very mischievous when he was young and always followed Xie Yun around getting into trouble. He didn't like studying, and Lu Li worried a lot about him. He could not like studying, but he still had to go to school normally. He couldn't not even pass the high school entrance exam.
Later, Xie Xun matured. When Xie Yun was admitted to military academy, he seemed to grow up overnight. He said that his brother was going to university and that he would protect their mother from now on.
Xie Xun is unlike Xie Yun, and has absolutely no resemblance to her or Xie Xuan.
The later albums are mostly of Xie Xun and Xiao Yu. Xie Yun used to go home quite often, but when he turned 17, he stopped going home for winter and summer vacations.
Lu Li closed the photo album, feeling empty and inexplicably sad. She pulled Xie Xuan out of bed and said, "Tell me about Shen Lang."
Xie Xuan glanced at the clock and frowned: "It's past three o'clock, and you still haven't slept?"
Lu Li grabbed Xie Xuan and asked, "How old is Shen Lang? How old is he this year?"
Xie Xuan didn't understand why Lu Li was asking Shen Lang. His wife was acting strangely today, not just because of Xiao Yu. He said, "19 years old. Two months younger than Xie Yun."
Lu Li stared into Xie Xuan's eyes: "Shen Lang is very similar to you, especially his eyes. His eyes are the same as yours, and also like A-Yun's. He's like a member of the Xie family."
Xie Xun is unlike the Xie family.
Xie Xuan said, "Could it be Dad's illegitimate child? Or the second son's child born out of wedlock?" Anyway, it has nothing to do with him.
The Xie family has a very strong gene pool; apart from Xie Xun, they all have a pair of captivating eyes.
Lu Li pinched Xie Xuan's waist, "Speak properly."
Xie Xuan: "Alright, I'll find you Shen Lang's information."
He had investigated Shen Lang in detail, fearing that they were sent by someone to deliberately approach Xiao Yu, otherwise how could they have saved Xiao Yu twice by such a coincidence?
The information contains details about Shen Lang and Jiang Can's experiences from childhood to adulthood.
Lu Li watched, tears streaming down her face. "How could parents be like this?"
Shen Lang grew up wildly and survived to this day. Every bite of food he eats is earned through his own efforts. If he had relied on his parents, he would have starved to death long ago.
If, if Shen Lang were her child, how could she bear to let him suffer like this?
She held the documents and cried uncontrollably, unable to even look at Jiang Can's information.
Xie Xuan didn't understand why she was crying, so he handed her a tissue to wipe her tears. "Shen Lang has nothing to do with me. I didn't cheat on you. You can't accuse me just because we look alike. Twenty years ago, we were in the army. How could I have had time to be with other women? I'm innocent! You're really not trusting me at all!"
Lu Li didn't think Xie Xuan was cheating on her, and she didn't understand why she felt so bad, as if she couldn't breathe and was drowning.
There are no early photos of Shen Lang in the materials. The earliest one is a work ID photo of him when he was 17 years old and entered the cotton mill. There are more photos after he got married, including wedding photos, photos on TV, and school photos...
She closed her eyes, imagining what Shen Lang looked like when he was a child, and couldn't help but fantasize about Shen Lang and Xie Yun lying together.
Xie Xuan was incredibly jealous to see his wife so appreciative of a young man, but all he could do for the moment was appease her.
Lu Li managed to fall asleep, but she woke up again after only two hours.
It was already past six in the morning.
Xie Xun got up early. He was a senior in high school and had to attend morning reading sessions. He had to be at school by 6:10 every day, and he was already at school.
Lu Li went to Xie Xun's room to help him tidy up his things, folded the quilt, and found a few short hairs on the pillow.
High school seniors are under a lot of pressure, and they've started losing their hair.
Lu Li picked out Xie Xun's short hair and wrapped it in a handkerchief.
She shouldn't doubt the son she raised, but if this matter isn't resolved, it will forever weigh on her mind, and she'll never be able to get over it.
The matter is very simple. Once the DNA test is done, regardless of whether it is positive or negative, she doesn't need to overthink it.
At breakfast time, Xie Yu hadn't gotten up yet. She had a nightmare last night and slept very restlessly. Grandma Xie couldn't bear to wake her up and let her continue sleeping. She even helped her ask for leave from school.
At the dinner table, none of the Xie family members had slept well; they all had heavy dark circles under their eyes, looking like a group of pandas.
After the meal, the old lady handed a box to Xi Ling: "Please give this box of jewelry to Can Can and A Lang for me, and tell them to come visit us often. Now that we've become godparents, we're family."
When Xi Ling opened the box, it was dazzling with gold—a pair of large gold bracelets and a gold necklace.
It must weigh about three pounds in total.
Xi Ling thought the gift was too tacky. What young girl would like to wear such a big gold necklace and bracelet? It looked like a dog leash and handcuffs.
But she didn't dare say it. She said, "I'll give it to Can Can today as well."
She delivered the property certificates to Jiang Can and Shen Lang today.
The old lady asked Xie Xuan again, "Has the investigation into Ruyi been completed?"
Xie Xuan: "We're still investigating."
Xu Ruyi's life has been very smooth. Her parents were the result of a land expropriation, and when Xu Ruyi was in junior high school, her family became rich overnight. She also studied hard and was admitted to the affiliated high school. She was indeed injured yesterday, with a fractured leg bone. She is currently in a cast and is still lying in the hospital.
He was just an ordinary high school student, with nothing special about him.
It's not that she has no special qualities; she's very popular, and both her classmates and teachers like her a lot.
These are all surface-level information; we need to dig deeper.
The old lady said, "What kind of efficiency do you have? If you can't find it, I'll have my husband find someone else to do it."
Grandpa Xie is in good health and is still serving as the commander of the military region.
Xie Xuan: "The results will be available today."
After breakfast, Lu Li plucked another hair from Xie Xuan's head.
Xie Xuan stared incredulously at the hair she had pulled out: "You want me to do a paternity test with Shen Lang's hair?"
Lu Li: "I don't have Ah Lang's hair."
Xie Xuan: "Xie Xun?"
Lu Li: "Don't talk nonsense." He pressed down on Lu Li's head, plucked another hair, and left with it.
Xie Xuan: ?
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Jiang Can and Shen Lang hailed a taxi to the eastern suburbs to buy the house and land they had agreed upon with Village Chief Wu Xincun the day before.
The village chief of Wuxin Village was particularly shocked when he saw the two of them, "You two are still buying?"
He waited at the housing authority all afternoon yesterday, but didn't get anything. He was furious and cursed Wang Aiguo and Jiang Can, saying, "Are they crazy? If they didn't want to buy, they should have just said so! Why did they just stand him up like that?"
He went home cursing after the housing management bureau closed for the day, only to hear the big news about the iron pot stewed goose restaurant as soon as he got home.
Manager Wang and his gang kidnapped a wealthy person, extorted money, and attempted to destroy the evidence, but were caught by a young couple. They are now in police custody and receiving treatment in the hospital, reportedly because their genitals were smashed.
The meat in the stewed goose in the pan is not goose meat, but human flesh.
The pigs at Old Zhang's pig farm are raised to be incredibly healthy and shiny; they don't eat pig feed, but rather human flesh and human bones ground into powder.
He started vomiting violently. He had eaten braised goose in an iron pot before, but he thought the taste was strange, so he never went back. He had also eaten pork from Old Zhang's restaurant, but he thought it was a bit fishy, so he wouldn't let his wife buy pork from Old Zhang's restaurant again.
The police also came to their house and questioned Manager Wang about who he had brought to their village to buy houses.
No, that's not true. Jiang Can and Shen Lang were the first customers.
The whole village was listless. Everyone couldn't help but wonder if the meat was actually human flesh. They were very anxious because their village was nearby and many people had eaten it.
When Shen Lang and Jiang Can arrived at Wuxin Village, the village chief and villagers surrounded them. The village chief asked, "What kind of meat is it?"
Shen Lang: "Goose meat."
Village Chief Wu: "Really? Where is the deceased's body?"
Shen Lang: "It's true, the body was smashed into mud and thrown into the sewer. They dared not use these things, in case someone ate them and noticed something was wrong, they would have to call the police immediately."
This is the police's version of events; they'll say it from now on.
Village Chief Wu and half the villagers breathed a sigh of relief; they were eating goose meat, which was clean pork.
The villagers of Wuxin Village were also very happy. Village Chief Wu drove a three-wheeled vehicle to take Shen Lang and Jiang Can to the housing management bureau to transfer the property.
Village Chief Wu took the money and left happily, transferring the money to the families who had already gone abroad. The portion belonging to the public treasury was distributed among the entire village.
Next, the two took a bus to the Xicheng District, which was much more desolate, with several cemeteries and not even a large factory. Land was cheaper there; nearly 5,000 square meters of wasteland cost 200,000 yuan.
No wonder Xie Shuo said that no one would want to build houses on this land; it's all graves, so who would buy it?
Jiang Can and Shen Lang now have plenty of money to invest and hoard land. The capital city will eventually develop, and these areas will eventually be developed, especially the western district. It can't remain desolate forever.
The two had hot pot in a copper pot for lunch, and in the afternoon they also bought two courtyard houses.
The 2,600 yuan that Manager Wang mentioned was a complete scam to fool Shen Lang and Jiang Can. Manager Wang never intended to sell the house; what he wanted was all of Shen Lang and Jiang Can's money.
The price per square meter for a two-courtyard siheyuan is 2,900 yuan, and the total building area is 308 square meters, totaling 893,200 yuan.
The price of a courtyard house is higher, at 3,000 yuan per square meter. With a building area of 170 square meters, the total price is 510,000 yuan.
Before the housing management bureau closed, the property was transferred. The owners of the second courtyard were Jiang Can and Shen Lang, while the owner of the first courtyard was listed as Xie Yu.
Jiang Can glanced at the time; it was almost five o'clock. He took a taxi directly to the roast duck restaurant. As soon as he got out of the car, he saw Xie Yu sitting at the entrance, resting her chin on her hands and looking at the roadside. When she saw the two of them, she skipped and hopped over, throwing herself into Jiang Can's arms and wrapping her arms around his waist: "Sister, brother-in-law."
She was wearing a light green dress, and her long hair was styled into two small buns, making her look particularly youthful.
She took Jiang Can's arm and led her into the restaurant. "Sister, I dreamt about you and brother-in-law last night. You two tortured that blond guy again. In my dream, I didn't step on his balls, but I took a knife and cut him into a thousand pieces."
Jiang Can: "Exciting! A slow and steady approach is more satisfying. A kick to the balls only provides fleeting pleasure."
Xie Yu: "Yes, yes, yes."
Shen Lang's lips twitched, and he fell behind by two steps, ignoring their explicit remarks.
When they arrived at the private room, Lu Li was also there, in addition to Xie Yu's parents.
As soon as Shen Lang and Jiang Can entered the private room, Lu Li's eyes were fixed on Shen Lang. She pinched her palms to force herself to look away.
She shifted her gaze to Jiang Can. This girl was truly blessed. Ever since A Lang married her, his life had begun to change, and all these changes were brought about by Can Can.
There were three empty seats. Xie Yu sat down next to her, and Shen Lang sat in the third seat, next to Xie Shuo.
He was right opposite her, so she could see Shen Lang as soon as she looked up.
Xi Ling handed a box to Jiang Can: "These are the bracelet and necklace that the old lady gave you. Do you like them? If you don't, you can keep them to increase their value."
Jiang Can: Anything else?
What kind of wealthy family is this?
Xie Yu pushed the box in front of Jiang Can and helped her open it: "My grandma especially likes gold, and she likes to give these as gifts. I also have a set of these. When I visited my grandma for the New Year, I wore it and she was so happy that she kept praising me for being beautiful."
Jiang Can was instantly blinded by the sight of a pair of exceptionally wide gold bracelets and a very wide gold necklace.
Hollow ones are fine, but if they were solid, how heavy would they be?
It is engraved with patterns symbolizing 'fortune, prosperity, longevity, happiness, and wealth', and it is particularly beautiful.
Jiang Can used all her willpower to close the lid, then pushed it back. She had already collected so much; how could she keep collecting and collecting and collecting?
Xie Yu: "Sis, don't you like gold? It's very pretty."
Jiang Can: "I've already accepted too much; I can't accept any more."
Xi Ling: "You are Xiao Yu's older sister, which means you are my daughter and also the old lady's granddaughter. I cannot refuse such a gift from an elder."
Jiang Can held Xie Yu's hand: "Xiao Yu, godmother, godfather."
Xi Ling smiled and handed the property certificate to Jiang Can, which had already been changed to Jiang Can's name.
Jiang Can was already completely overwhelmed by the Xie family's extravagant spending.
Lu Li also presented the prepared gifts to Jiang Can, saying, "You are Xiao Yu's older sister and brother-in-law, and also my daughter and son-in-law. This is a gift for our first meeting."
Jiang Can: I'm receiving so many gifts that my hands are sore.
He called out confidently, "Godmother!"
Lu Li handed another box to Shen Lang, looking at him expectantly.
Shen Lang: "? Godmother?"
Lu Li's eyes immediately reddened. "Good boy, quickly see if it suits you."
Lu Li gave Jiang Can and Shen Lang a pair of watches with silver dials and small diamonds on them. They were very beautiful and suitable for them.
Jiang Can pulled a property certificate out of his bag. "Xiao Yu, this is for you."
Xie Yu opened it and was astonished: "A courtyard house in Nanluoguxiang? It's so big?"
Jiang Can: "It's so beautiful as soon as you enter the courtyard."
Xie Yu showed it to Lu Li and Xi Ling, overjoyed: "Auntie, Mom, look! My sister and brother-in-law gave me this house! It's huge, with a land area of 330 square meters and a building area of 170 square meters!!! I'm going to go see my new house later."
Xie Yu owned many properties, the exact number of which she didn't even know, but this one was different. It was a gift from Shen Lang and Jiang Can.
She proudly showed off, solemnly putting the property into her bag, then threw herself into Jiang Can's arms, calling her "Sister."
The waiter started serving the food. The roast duck at this restaurant is very authentic; roast duck is their specialty.
It's delicious.
When Xie Shuo asked Shen Lang which properties he had looked at that day, Shen Lang didn't hide anything and told him everything.
Xie Shuo: "The West District is a godforsaken place, why would you buy it there? It's inconvenient to open a factory there, and many people don't want to work there. If you like it, I'll give you mine too."
Jiang Can: "If you don't like it, you can put it under Xiao Yu's name."
Xie Shuo: "? Okay."
Xie Yu: "Dad, give it to me!"
Xie Shuo: "Okay, okay."
After dinner, Shen Lang went to the airport. He was going back to Henan Province to study. He planned to hail a taxi and asked Xie Shuo to take Jiang Can back to school, promising to make sure he got him there.
Xie Yu patted his chest and assured him, "Brother-in-law, don't worry, I'll take my sister to her dorm."
Lu Li, carrying her bag, said, "It's hard to hail a taxi right now, so I'll take you to the airport."
Shen Lang: "No need to trouble you."
Lu Li said, "You've already called me godmother, why are you still being so polite? Let's go." Then she said to Jiang Can, "See you on Saturday."
We're going to the temple to burn prayer flags together on Saturday. She even canceled her performance to come along.
Jiang Can waved: "See you on Saturday."
Shen Lang couldn't help but kiss Jiang Can's cheek. "Call me back when you get to the dorm."
Jiang Can: "Have a safe trip."
Lu left in a Jeep, with Shen Lang in the passenger seat. She started the car and drove towards the airport.
The car was quiet, and neither of them spoke for a moment.
Lu Li asked, "What time is your flight? Will you make it in time? Once you arrive in Henan Province, will you have a place to stay?"
Shen Lang: "My flight is at 10 o'clock. When I arrive in Henan Province, I'll go back to my house first and then go back to school tomorrow morning so as not to delay my morning study session." He added, "I parked my car at the airport, which is very convenient."
Lu left steadily, her palms sweaty. She asked, "Are you coming to the capital again next week?"
Shen Lang nodded: "Come on."
How could he feel at ease letting Jiang Can go to the temple to burn incense with Xie Yu? If something happened, it would be too late to say anything.
He didn't trust the Xie family at all. If the Xie family were powerful enough, would they have let Xie Yu lose twice?
He definitely can't lose his wife.
Lu Li couldn't help but smile. He was probably afraid that Jiang Can would suffer the same fate as Xiao Yu. He loved his wife very much, just like the Xie family, who all doted on their wives.
She drove slowly, cherishing her time alone. She felt happy just looking at Shen Lang.
It felt as if Ah Yun was right beside me.
He is different from Ah Xun and Xiao Yu.
That's strange.
While waiting at the traffic light, a truck seemed to have gone out of control and rushed towards us at high speed.
Shen Lang almost instantly moved closer, forcefully reversed the steering wheel, and roared, "Step on the gas!"
But the truck was heading straight for them; there was no way to avoid it.
In the instant of the collision, Shen Lang unbuckled his seatbelt, pulled Lu Li out, dragged her out of the driver's seat, and at the same time pushed open the car door. The car crashed into him with a 'bang'.
The glass shattered.
The vehicle body is deformed.
The jeep was dragged along, rubbing against the ground, and its speed did not decrease.
As Shen Lang watched the scenery recede into the distance, he counted three, two, one, and then suddenly jumped out of the jeep, carrying Lu Li in his arms.
The two people were suspended in mid-air, and the next moment they rolled towards the river.
The moment they landed, Shen Lang was still struck by the violent force, his throat tightened, and he almost spat out a mouthful of blood. The two of them tumbled and fell into the river.
The river water absorbed most of its force.
For a moment, Shen Lang's consciousness blurred. He bit his tongue, paused for two seconds, and then, with the unconscious Lu Li in his arms, they rose and fell in the river.
With a loud 'bang', a large truck towing a jeep crashed into the bridge.
Shen Lang cursed inwardly: Damn it!
I almost lost my life.
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