Chapter 19 What? Not his biological son?!
Gu Qinglang was so frightened that he staggered, but Li Mengxin, who was next to him, helped him up and prevented him from making a fool of himself.
"What? What did you say, Ayin? Aren't I your grandfather's son? What nonsense are you talking about?" After calming down, Gu Qinglang frowned and looked at Gu Yin.
Gu Yin blinked, looked at her grandparents, then at her uncle, and then at her father: "Oh, Dad, you didn't know?" She had always thought that the whole family knew, but who knew that not only did the others not know, but Gu Qinglang didn't know either!
When Gu Yin looked at her parents and older brother, Gu Qinglang also looked at them. He couldn't see anything on their faces. He was relieved and was about to speak when he saw the old lady looking at the old man with a puzzled expression.
"Didn't you tell Alang about it?" The old lady always assumed that the old man had told him. After all, people in the village often teased Alang, and they never hid anything from each other. The old lady had never seen Alang troubled by this matter, so she assumed that the old man had told him and given him some advice, so she didn't care.
The old man scratched his head: "Shouldn't you be the one to tell him this? After all, you're more meticulous and speak more tactfully. I thought you had already told him."
The two elders were embarrassed and looked at their eldest son at the same time: "You've always taken care of your younger brother, and you've never said anything about it?"
Gu Qingming: "...He is my brother. I raised him myself. So what if he is my biological son? It doesn't stop me from loving him. Besides, shouldn't this be something our parents talk about? I saw that my brother didn't ask, so I didn't say anything and forgot about it for a while."
The three remained silent.
Li Xiang wanted to laugh but didn't dare, while Li Mengxin didn't care and asked directly, "So, Qinglang really isn't Mom and Dad's biological son?"
The old man was a little guilty and nodded: "Well, that's definitely not true. When you were little, didn't people in the village always say that the second son was adopted? Don't you find it strange that the second son was adopted?"
Gu Qinglang was speechless: "Dad! When Erdan next door was little, people in the village said he was picked up from a garbage dump! People in the village not far away, Erni, said she was picked up by her mother from the back mountain! Li Sen from the old village chief's family was also said to have been adopted from the town! No child in our village hasn't been told these things! So I'm not surprised that people say I was picked up from the snow! Aren't these just jokes from the adults?"
Knowing he was in the wrong, the old man turned and went inside to sit down, muttering, "Let your mother talk to you."
Everyone then looked at the old lady.
The old lady was about to leave when she noticed everyone staring at her. She glared at the old man and said helplessly, "There's not much to say. It's just that in winter, on our way back from the supply and marketing cooperative, your father and I found you abandoned in the snow, far from any village or shop. We held you and waited for a long time, but no one came looking for you. We were worried that your brother was home alone, so we brought you home first. The next day, we told the old village chief and went to look for you again. The old village chief even registered it with the commune, just in case your parents came looking for you and couldn't find you. It's been like this for half a month, and we haven't heard of any other children being lost in town, nor have we seen anyone come looking for you. We couldn't bear to leave your father. My health has been poor since I gave birth to your brother, and we felt that bringing you home would be like giving him a little friend. So, we brought you home. Anyway, our family is small, and raising you alone won't be a burden. Your brother has been asking for a sister, and he's happy with a brother even without one. We always thought you knew this yourself, but we didn't expect you to find out until today."
After speaking, the old lady came to her senses and looked at Gu Yin: "How did you know, Yin'er?"
Li Mengxin nodded in agreement: "How did you know when none of us did?"
Gu Yin twitched the corners of her mouth and said helplessly, "The old ladies and aunties in the village would gather together to chat, talking about all sorts of things. Once, I was bored, so I sat down next to them, and that's when I found out that my father was brought home by my grandparents. I was quite shocked at the time, but they said that our whole family knew about it, so it was nothing. I thought you all knew?"
Li Xiang laughed: "I always thought it was fake. I even got into a fight with someone about it back then. People said I was being unreasonable. I thought she was cursing at me, so we fought again. After that, no one talked to me about it anymore." It turns out this whole thing was real after all.
Gu Qinglang sighed: "Alright, it's really nothing. My child is so grown up. If they wanted to look for him, they would have come long ago. They wouldn't have waited so many years. Maybe he's already gone. Forget it."
Even if he knew it was true, he was already over forty and had never seen anyone come over since he was a child, which meant they were not meant to be. So be it.
Gu Le walked over to Gu Yin and hugged her.
Gu Yin paused, her hand trembling slightly. Only after she calmed down did she stroke his hair and laugh: "Who said no one came looking for us? There were always various uncontrollable factors when Dad and Mom took the college entrance exams. A-Le was either kidnapped or abducted. You don't think it's such a coincidence, do you?"
The courtyard fell silent. The old man looked at his second son, then at his granddaughter, and frowned. Gu Qinglang also pursed his lips and remained silent.
“Even tigers don’t eat their cubs. If they really are my uncle’s parents, they shouldn’t treat their own grandson like this!” Li Xiang asked doubtfully.
Although there are many families around who favor sons over daughters, and some who abandon their children, there really isn't one like this: patricide.
Although he had never expected anything from his biological parents, if his son was indeed the one who did it, then he and his biological parents would be enemies. Hearing his sister-in-law say this, Gu Qinglang felt a sense of relief, even though he had never expected anything.
Gu Yin shook her head: "None of us know the current situation, but it's just that our family's existence has become a threat to that person, especially my younger brother, who seems to have become someone that some people have to get rid of."
Gu Le tightened his grip on Gu Yin's clothes. Who could argue with that?
Gu Yin patted his shoulder, then looked at the old man: "The current situation is that Master Li is an enemy, and there is a very high possibility that he is an informant. Should we deal with him immediately, or keep him around and let him continue to keep an eye on things? I think the second option is better."
Gu Shu said anxiously, "Why?! Everyone knows he's a bad guy, so he should be arrested!"
Li Mengxin walked to her children's side, hugged them, and calmly said, "I also agree with the second option, keeping him alive. This way, he's in the open while we're in the shadows. If we deal with him, who knows, the person behind him might come in with an even more powerful one, and then we'll be in a very passive position!"
The others in the room nodded in agreement.
The old man took a deep drag on his pipe: "Then let's not deal with him for now. Let's pretend we don't know who took Ah Le. Go out and make a scene, the bigger the better, so that everyone in the village knows there are bad guys, bad guys who steal children. That way, Li Genzi will be both worried and relieved. He didn't succeed, and the person behind him will definitely notify him again. In the future, our family should try to keep a low profile and avoid going to remote places, especially the second son's family. Whether it's Ah Le or Ah Yin, we must always be vigilant!"
Gu Yin nodded: "We won't hold back for long!"
Li Mengxin said worriedly, "What are you doing? You're still a child. We adults are here for you. Don't do anything reckless!" She had noticed that since the child came back from the hospital, he had become much calmer and quieter, as if he had suddenly grown up. She didn't know whether to be happy or worried.
Gu Yin reassured her, "It's alright, I won't do anything reckless. I will study hard, and one day, I will definitely find out who's behind this!"
After dinner, everyone except Gu Yin, Gu Le, and Li Mengxin went out on missions.
When Li Genzi came out of the old village chief's house after getting his wound bandaged, he saw Gu Qinglang excitedly talking to everyone not far away. He didn't go over, but quickly walked back.
It wasn't until he was getting ready for bed that Li Genzi saw his nephew return. He casually asked, "The village seems quite lively. What's going on?"
Li Dashan took a big gulp of water, then sat down and said helplessly, "That Ale from the Gu family was kidnapped by bad guys again today. If Gu Yin hadn't been there, he might not be found now! The Gu family was talking about it with the villagers tonight, reminding everyone to be careful. Tomorrow they'll go to the street and tell the police about it!"
Li Genzi's heart tightened: "Another bad guy?! Who is it?"
Li Dashan shook his head: "They said it was a man, very strong, but they don't know who he is. They didn't see his face. But Gu Le bit his hand, so there might still be teeth marks on his hand. They'll report it to the police tomorrow, but they don't know if they can catch him. The Gu family is really something. Did they offend someone? Why do bad guys always target their little brats? It's really troublesome!" He then looked at Li Genzi.
"Uncle, you should go to sleep. Your hand is injured, so get some rest and it will heal quickly. I have to go on patrol tomorrow!" After saying that, he went inside.
Li Genzi watched his nephew go into the house, then sat alone in the yard for a long time before heading back to his own house.
The next day was Sunday, and Gu Yin was going to the hospital to have her stitches removed. Just after lunch, Li Xiaohua came running over.
Seeing her come in, Gu Yin waved her over: "Have you eaten? Do you want something to eat?"
Li Xiaohua shook her head: "I'll take some wild chrysanthemums to sell later, and I want to go to the street to eat cold noodles." After saying that, seeing that no one was watching in the yard, she leaned closer and whispered in Gu Yin's ear.
"Ayin, I heard about what happened yesterday!"
Gu Yin handed her a sweet potato that her grandmother had cooked that morning: "Just pretend you don't know anything, forget everything that happened yesterday. Even if you run into Li Genzi again, don't be afraid, just greet him normally, okay?"
Li Xiaohua nodded: "I know, I didn't even tell my parents last night!"
Gu Yin laughed: "Great!"
Li Xiaohua rolled her eyes: "I'm a year older than you, okay? I'm not a child anymore! Of course I know what's important! I know you all have your own plans. I just need to do what I always do. I watched Ah Le grow up. That guy is a real scoundrel!" She then stomped her foot hard.
"Xiaohua's here? Your mom said your dad went to the county to buy you a bicycle today?" Li Mengxin came out from the warehouse, holding a basket of wild chrysanthemums that the children had picked last night.
Li Xiaohua chuckled, "Yeah, yeah! My family's bike has been repaired so many times that it's unusable now! My dad even fell off it yesterday, otherwise he wouldn't have bought a new one!" She then looked at Gu Yin, "I'll ask my dad to buy the same one as yours! Want a ride later? Or can I give you a ride?"
Gu Yin finished packing her things, stood up and said, "I'll give you a ride! Let's go, I still need to buy a mosquito net, a bucket, and a washbasin to put in my dorm at school later."
Li Xiaohua also stood up: "My mom will buy these things for me, so I won't go with her."
Upon arriving at the hospital, Li Mengxin took Gu Yin to the attending physician. As usual, the doctor asked about the situation and then told her to go to the nurse to have the stitches removed.
It was done in no time.
Li Mengxin turned to the doctor and asked, "Will the child's hair grow back from that scar on his head?"
The doctor smiled and said, "Hair will continue to grow after the stitches on your head. There might be a little bit of hair not growing in this scar area, but it won't affect anything. Normally, it won't be noticeable. The child is still young, and anything is possible. You still need to pay attention to his diet recently. I see that the wound is healing very quickly, so there shouldn't be any problems."
Li Mengxin nodded, and then walked out with peace of mind.
Gu Yin also heard what the doctor said, but she wasn't worried. First, the scar after the stitches were removed was actually quite small, only as thin as a toothpick. Second, the system space had things for removing scars and promoting hair growth, so she could grow hair whenever she wanted.
001 immediately popped up again: "That requires points, I'm going to start a new mission now."
Gu Yin's eyes lit up: "What mission?"
"Your city will hold an essay contest during the National Day holiday. Mission: Participate in the essay contest, enter the finals, and win the first prize. Reward: 3 points. Host, do you want to start the mission?"
Gu Yin nodded.
001: "The mission has been activated. We hope the host will continue to work hard!"
Gu Yin saw that the task bar was lit up and looked at 001 in confusion: "Why are there three points this time? Last time it was only one!"
001 blinked: "I forgot to tell you, the points for a task within the school are 1, for the county it's 2, for the city it's 3, for the province it's 4, for the country it's 10, and for the international it's 20. Of course, if you exceed the target or trigger a side quest, there will be other rewards after completion. As for what they are, I don't know either."
Gu Yin understood and nodded, "I know!" This was great! What did students have the most of? Besides homework, it was all sorts of competitions! She was already looking forward to the sound of points gushing into her account!
Seeing her excited expression, 001 smiled and didn't say anything more. If his master were here, he would definitely sigh that the newcomer was too easy to fool. Why not just give up? Why be so stubborn!
Gu Yin was unaware of 001's thoughts, and even if she knew, she wouldn't say anything. She didn't want to waste her life; having been given a second chance, ambition was already ingrained in her soul! All she could do was study relentlessly!
Li Xiaohua sold the wild chrysanthemums for three yuan, and Gu Yin sold them for eleven yuan. These eleven yuan were collected by the Gu family children together. Li Mengxin didn't keep them, but gave an extra yuan to Gu Yin: "You four can divide them properly later."
Gu Yin nodded and put the money away.
They didn't return until 4 p.m.
As soon as they entered the village, they saw Li Genzi coming out of the village. When he saw them, he greeted them with a big smile.
"Just got back from shopping? You bought so much stuff!"
Li Mengxin nodded with a smile: "Yes, to buy things for the children to use at boarding school. Where are you going, Uncle Li?" She then looked at the wound on his hand, her smile widening, inwardly cursing, "How could he have cut his hand off like that?!"
Li Genzi pointed to the foot of the mountain: "Didn't they say there were bad guys last night? Today, those kids went up the mountain to pick flowers again. The mountain is too busy to keep an eye on things. Even though I injured my hand, I can still do patrols and such."
After saying that, he looked at Gu Yin and smiled even more kindly: "A-Yin is really brave. I heard you saw that bad guy. Next time you see him, don't chase after him by yourself. When bad guys get evil, they don't care about anything. Breaking their arms and legs is the least of their worries. They can even cut off their heads. Sigh, back in our day, there were people who ate people!"
Li Xiaohua's face paled, but Gu Yin grabbed her wrist tightly and said with a smile, "It's okay, I'm not afraid. They say that bad people who do too many bad things will be punished by lightning, which is too lenient. After they die, they will have to experience all eighteen levels of hell, and in the end, they will definitely be reborn as animals, at the mercy of others! Thinking about it this way, I'm even less afraid!"
Li Genzi's chest heaved a few times. He was old and couldn't stand such words. This brat's mouth was really foul! Li Genzi's face was a little stiff. He turned to look at Li Xiaohua: "Xiaohua, are you scared? Third Master is talking nonsense. Don't be afraid. You were with Ayin yesterday. I'm afraid bad people saw you and will do something bad to you in the future."
Li Xiaohua dug her nails into her flesh, laughing loudly, "Bad guys are like rats in a ditch, they're trying to hide, how could they possibly see the light of day?! Besides, yesterday I was with the rest of the village halfway up the mountain. If I had known, I wouldn't have gone home and would have gone up with Ayin and the others directly. Maybe I could have even slashed that bad guy a couple of times! Just thinking about it makes me angry!"
Li Genzi twitched the corner of his mouth: "Don't act impulsively."
Worried that they might give themselves away if they continued talking, Li Mengxin interrupted Li Genzi with a smile: "Third Uncle, we'll head back now. The sun's almost setting, and the meat in the basket will go bad if we leave it too long. Come over to our house tonight and have a drink with Grandpa and the others! We'll talk again later. We'll head back now!"
Li Genzi could only nod, then stared at their backs. Gu Yin said something to Li Xiaohua, and Li Xiaohua punched her, then skipped around her with a smile on her face.
Seeing this, Li Genzi turned around and walked towards the foot of the mountain.
"Is he gone?" Li Xiaohua asked Gu Yin with a grin. Gu Yin turned the car around, and when she didn't see him out of the corner of her eye, she nodded: "He's gone, so you don't need to jump anymore."
Li Mengxin hadn't expected Li Genzi to be so cautious. She frowned and instructed Li Xiaohua, "From now on, never go near him! And never go out alone. If you have to face him, do it like you did today! I wonder if he has let go of his suspicions about you."
Li Xiaohua nodded: "Auntie, I know! Ayin told me everything! With Ayin here, I'm not afraid!"
Li Mengxin nodded: "Go back early, and don't come out after dark!"
Li Xiaohua waved and said, "Auntie, goodbye Ayin!" Then she quickly ran home.
As soon as Gu Yin and the others entered the house, they saw Officer Wang talking to Gu Qinglang in the yard. When he saw them return, he stood up and greeted them.
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