Chapter Forty-Five: Reunion (Part 1)
When Tangtang came home for the weekend, she shook her head again upon learning about the Sun family's situation. "Sun Shuyin just abandoned her mother to follow that unfamiliar father?"
"Who knows?"
Tangtang went to the kitchen to get water for her mother. She heard someone talking at the front door, but couldn't hear what they were saying. She immediately went towards the doorway. Through the doorway, she saw a middle-aged man with an assistant behind him. The man looked excited when he saw her, his eyes filled with inquiry.
"You are... your mother is Shu Yao?"
"Yes. You're looking for my mother?"
"right."
May I ask your name?
"My name is Shu Chengjing."
"My mom's older brother?" Tangtang heard her mother mention him and immediately became excited. She turned and shouted into the house, "Mom, your older brother is looking for you."
Shu Yao had already heard the man's words and stumbled out of the house. The brother and sister stood one at the doorway and the other at the entrance of the main room, seemingly close yet separated by decades. In her memory, her brother was also a boy, a fifteen-year-old. Now, however, his temples were gray, and his shoulders were broad.
"Graceful and slender"
No need to ask anymore, it's immediately obvious this is my younger sister. She was twelve when she went missing, already a graceful young woman. Now, in middle age, her features and figure resemble her mother even more. My niece has a bit of her, but not quite.
"Big brother,"
The Shu family's two sons are twins, looking exactly alike. Outsiders have had difficulty distinguishing them since childhood, but the family has never mistaken them. Shu Yao cried out, tears streaming down her face. The brother and sister embraced and wept bitterly in the courtyard, unable to stop their tears.
"Mom, don't cry. Let Uncle go inside first," Tangtang said, trying to persuade her. She then realized what she'd said about her older brother and stopped arguing. Instead, she called out to her uncle.
"Yes, yes, big brother," she raised her hand to wipe away her tears, but the more she wiped, the more tears flowed. She wanted to go inside, but she couldn't stop sobbing, and as soon as she opened her mouth, tears started falling again.
"Don't cry, don't cry," Shu Chengjing said, wiping away his tears and sniffling as he tried to calm himself down. The brother and sister went inside together, and Tangtang had already quickly gone to make tea.
"Uncle, have some tea."
Looking at his niece, Shu Chengjing couldn't help but shed tears again. "Is this my youngest daughter?"
Shu Yao nodded and introduced her daughter to her older brother. "This little girl is called Su Hexin. Her older brother and sister are twins who are studying at university in Kyoto and won't be back until the end of the year."
As she spoke, Shu Yao showed the photo that was lying on the table to her older brother. The man reached out and stroked He Yi, and couldn't help but exclaim, "She looks just like her, so much like her. She looks exactly like Mom when she was young."
"Are Mom and Dad alright?" Mentioning her parents, even though she knew they were fine, she couldn't hold back her tears. "And my second brother..."
"It's all good, it's all good. We started planning to come back as soon as we received your letter. Mom was so excited that her blood pressure was a little unstable, so Dad had to stop her."
"Is Mom alright?" she asked anxiously, because she was fine in her previous life.
"It's nothing, she's just too excited." The older brother sighed, "Ever since you went missing, Mom has been blaming herself, feeling that she didn't take good care of you. We haven't been able to contact each other for years and couldn't find you, so when we finally got news, she was a little out of control."
"It wasn't my fault. There was chaos and many people were fleeing. Nobody expected to suddenly encounter bandits. Everyone was in a panic and just ran away randomly."
My sister is still the same; she always puts others first. He and his second brother went to the woods to relieve themselves, and he always felt stupid about it later. At a time like this, why were they still worrying about the separation of men and women? If he had kept his sister with him, she wouldn't have gotten lost.
"Have you suffered a lot over the years?"
"No."
The older brother's face was filled with pain and heartache. The siblings were three years apart, and when they were little, both brothers always played with her. They had grown up together, relying on each other. Although they hadn't been able to return in recent years, they had kept inquiring through various channels and knew how difficult things had been for people on the mainland.
Looking around, he was still filled with tenderness. He could tell the curtains and bed curtains were new, and the walls had been painted. They must have guessed they would come back, so they tidied the house. But even so, in his eyes, it still seemed too outdated.
The house has blue brick floors and wooden beams, just like before the liberation. Thirty years have passed, and even before liberation, this house would only be considered makeshift by the family's standards. Moreover, for the past thirty years, they've lived abroad in a villa with a garden.
"Tangtang, go and call your dad back."
"good."
The daughter went to her father's workplace to find him. Her aunt brought in some egg tea and then left, leaving the siblings alone. After calming down a bit, the two began to reminisce about their time apart.
My parents also faced numerous life-threatening situations back then. While in China, they were hiding from war and bandits, and my mother was injured in a moment of mental confusion. When they went out to sea by boat, they encountered a storm, and the whole family almost ended up as fish food.
"The process was very dangerous, but thankfully nothing serious happened." He didn't tell his sister that he and his brother were actually injured at the time, and his brother's arm still has aftereffects.
"It's good that you're safe." She already knew these things in her previous life, including the parts her brother hadn't told her. Her mother was injured, her father was ill, and the journey had been extremely difficult. Her father guarded the little money he had, because it was the foundation for establishing himself abroad.
As the brother and sister were talking, Su Xiangdong returned. He shook hands and greeted his brother-in-law, both silently sizing each other up. Men have their own set of rules for judging other men, and soon Shu Chengjing nodded silently.
My brother-in-law is a man of imposing stature. Although simply dressed, his calm and reliable demeanor suggests he's dependable. Moreover, the first thing he did upon entering was to replace the cold tea, indicating he's accustomed to doing housework. This is very important for ordinary people, because without servants, it's all the women's work if the man doesn't do it.
Su Xiangdong was busy preparing to entertain his brother-in-law, only to find that his brother-in-law had already ordered food at the cafeteria. The whole family went out together at the largest restaurant in the provincial capital.
After several rounds of drinks and dishes, while Su Xiangdong went to the restroom, Brother Shu leaned close to his sister and whispered, "Do you know someone named Sun Yaozu?"
"You've seen him?" Sun Yaozu had visited his wife's family in his previous life; could it be that he went there when he fled the country? Perhaps his parents had even helped him all these years? Originally, I was thinking of not getting involved and letting them fight like dogs, but the thought of him using my parents and family made me furious.
“He said he was your husband, and that his family rescued you from human traffickers years ago.”
"Brother, you didn't give him anything, did you?" She was so angry that her hands trembled. "I divorced him a long time ago. His family... it's not something that can be explained in a few words, but they are definitely not benefactors."
"No." Actually, he did give her some benefits, but seeing his sister's reaction, he didn't say anything, because it meant nothing to the Shu family.
“We sat down and discussed it, and we felt that we couldn’t completely trust what he said. Besides, just the fact that he ran away without taking you with him made your parents furious. He was seriously ill on the ship at the time, saying that it was too dangerous for you to be with him. He came to check the route first.”
"And then what?"
"Later, we used some tricks to get him to tell us. He said you were divorced a long time ago, and he abandoned his wife and children and his father to smuggle himself out of the country, almost dying on the way. You have three children, you definitely can't take such a risk. Everyone was very worried about you, and when they heard that things were back in China, they immediately contacted people to find you. They had a specific address, so it was easy to get in touch with you."
“Sun Yaozu, he’s just a…”
"Don't be angry, don't be angry, we didn't fall for his tricks." He was actually cured at the hospital. But that's all; the Shu family has been in the business world for so long, how could they possibly be fooled by him?
"What has he been doing all these years?"
“He runs a small business. He doesn’t have much money, and now he’s involved in import and export trade. Stay away from him; it seems he’s been in cahoots with the local authorities for years.”
"I know."
He finally found his sister and that evening used the new international long-distance call line he had just received at the China Merchants Group to call home. His mother sobbed uncontrollably on the phone, and upon hearing about her daughter's living conditions, she kept urging him on with heartache.
"Buy her home appliances and furniture, and make sure she has everything she needs. I heard it's not convenient to buy things in mainland China, so tell me what you need and I'll buy it from here."
"Mom, I came back to investigate the investment environment. We have import and export qualifications. Don't worry, I'll handle it."
"We've completed all the formalities, and I've recovered. Tell your sister we'll be back soon."
"Mom, are you really okay? Don't worry, I'll get the paperwork done for my sister and brother-in-law so they can come see you."
"Can it be done?"
"Yes, that's possible. Things are very different now that we've been reformed and opened up."
Decades later, the mother didn't want to meet her daughter on the phone. He tried to stop her for a long time but couldn't; the parents had decided to return to China in a week. The younger sister was their precious little darling, pampered since childhood. They had shed countless tears over the years because of her.
Years ago, my mother contracted enteritis during her turbulent travels and had diarrhea the whole way. Unable to bear it any longer, she went to a secluded spot, repeatedly telling my younger sister and Uncle Xu's daughter not to wander off. But in the end, Uncle Xu's daughter followed closely, while my younger sister got lost.
The following day, when the brother and sister were alone, he asked the question that had been on his mind. Shu Yao had already lived two lives, and her memories of the events of that time had faded, but she still remembered how she had told her brother in her previous life.
"After we came out of the bushes with Sister Feng, Mom repeatedly told us not to go far. I sat down to rest on a rock while Sister Feng went to pick fruit nearby. I kept calling out to her not to go far, because I couldn't see her anymore. When she called me, I went to look for her. But suddenly things got chaotic, and I couldn't find you. I was swept away by the crowd."
"I'm sorry." The brother reached out and hugged her, this guilt having been buried deep in his heart for so many years. He should have taken his sister with him, even to the toilet. In times of war and chaos, what's the point of being so fussy?
"It's not your fault, it's just that we were born in that era, and things just turned out differently. Besides, I didn't suffer much, everything was fine."
Shu Chengjing took a slow, deep breath to calm himself. Because his younger sister was lost, his parents and Uncle Xu's family had become estranged over the years and had basically stopped seeing each other. He had met Xu Feng a few times, and she always looked at him with deep regret for his sister's disappearance.
“Over the years, my father has basically cut off all contact with Uncle Xu. My mother used to like Xu Feng so much, but she hasn’t seen her at all since.”
"..." Shu Yao remained silent, unsure of what to say. She had repeatedly told the other person not to stray too far, but the other person wouldn't listen. They wandered further and further away picking fruit, and it was only when Xu Feng called her that she got up to look for them. And so, she was separated from her family, a separation that would last for decades.
"It's all in the past now, and I'll be able to see my mom and dad soon."
She nodded silently, her emotions quickly calming down. She had already experienced this once in her past life. Upon seeing her, Xu Feng apologized profusely and showered her with numerous women's beauty products: bird's nest, pearls, and various cosmetics—all exquisite items.
The other person spoke with such sincerity, yet she felt utterly disheartened. Looking back now, she couldn't help but feel resentful. Xu Feng was two years older than her, but at that time she looked much younger. Each word she uttered about her suffering sounded unpleasant to her ears.
She tried to convince herself not to be petty, but she never developed a close relationship with Xu Feng again. Looking back now, she realized that Xu Feng was subconsciously very sensitive. Xu Feng seemed to be apologizing, but her eyes held a sense of superiority that made her uncomfortable.
In her past life, she already looked much older than her age at this point, and her parents were heartbroken to see her. They sought out traditional Chinese medicine practitioners to treat her and provided her with the best possible care. However, the damage done in her youth could not be made up for in a short time.
The older brother isn't as heartbroken now because she's taken good care of herself over the years and hasn't done any dirty or strenuous work. Without physical or mental stress, she looks younger than her age. Her eyes are bright, and she's composed; it's clear she's been well taken care of.
"My brother-in-law is a good man."
"Mmm." She nodded with a smile. Life was so peaceful because of him. Even in the most difficult times, he protected her.
Seeing his sister's radiant smile, Shu Chengjing felt a little better. The lack of material things was secondary; thankfully, he had abundant emotional support. Moreover, his sister seemed to be in good spirits, calm and radiant, even better than many of the wealthy women he had ever met.
The past cannot be undone. Now that his sister has been found, there's no point in dwelling on guilt; the most important thing is to make amends. So, the next day, a truck was parked in front of the Su family's house.
It happened to be lunchtime, and as everyone was leaving work, a large crowd of onlookers suddenly gathered in the alley. Some people heard that Shu Yao's older brother had come looking for her and immediately began to speculate whether he had given her something.
What could it be?
"It's not a color TV, is it? If Sun Yaozu can afford it, the Shu family must be even richer after all these years abroad."
Will it?
As they were discussing it, the truck bed opened, and this time anyone who could read could immediately see it. It contained not only a color TV, but also a refrigerator, a washing machine, and a motorcycle.
"My goodness!"
"They actually have refrigerators? I've never even seen a refrigerator before. I've been to the department store several times, and they're always out of stock."
"And motorcycles. My goodness, they even have motorcycles! I was so happy when I bought a new bicycle, and now they have motorcycles."
"And a washing machine. I've never even seen how a washing machine washes clothes."
"Yes, it doesn't have hands, so how can it wash?"
"Let's go in and take a look, and let Shuyao show us how she washes it."
Shu Yao naturally had all these appliances in her previous life, so she wasn't as surprised as everyone else. She had already anticipated her brother's reaction, and calmly arranged for the workers to carry the items into the house.
Upon opening the package, the television was placed next to the original black and white television, the refrigerator was placed behind the door, the washing machine was placed in the kitchen, and the motorcycle was placed in the yard.
"Brother, there's really no need to buy a motorcycle. I'm perfectly fine riding a bicycle."
"Let Xiangdong ride you; a motorcycle is less strenuous than a bicycle."
Shu Yao smiled and said nothing more. Since she'd already bought it, she might as well use it. The neighbors were all excited and wanted to see it, so she smiled and opened it for them. The refrigerator had a capacity of over 100 cubic meters, with a freezer on top and a refrigerator underneath. It made a slight noise when plugged in.
"Oh my, Shuyao, you can freeze your own popsicles from now on."
"If you buy it wholesale, you can store it in the refrigerator and eat it anytime."
Hearing everyone's envious voices, Shu Chengjing felt much better. His sister deserved to be the center of attention and envied by others. This was nothing compared to what he was seeing. There weren't many good houses in the mainland these days, and he planned to cooperate with the government to build a plot of land himself, giving his sister the best house to live in.
"Thank you all for taking care of my sister. Here's a small gift for everyone, please don't mind it."
The men received gas lighters, and the women received lipsticks—neither particularly expensive, but both were extremely rare in mainland China these days. Everyone was overjoyed to receive the gifts; many women were seeing lipsticks for the first time, their excitement comparable to celebrating the Lunar New Year.
"Oh dear, Shu Yao's family is so generous."
"Shu Yao's life will be even better from now on."
"Absolutely, what a lucky woman. She married such a good man, and now she has such a powerful family to rely on. Her good fortune is yet to come."
Having received tangible benefits, everyone showered them with compliments as if they were free. Many of them spoke loudly, and their words could be clearly heard from the next room.
Sun Yaozu had also bought a color TV before, and seeing his daughter's envious expression, he called her to go out. It was Shuyin's first time riding in a car, and her excitement was palpable.
"Dad, you're amazing! You can even drive a car."
"When you're old enough, Dad will teach you how to drive."
"Really?" Shuyin's cheeks flushed with surprise, and her eyes widened.
"real."
Shuyin was overjoyed; her father was so good to her. He bought her a new dress, a new schoolbag, and a radio. Her classmates were all so envious of her lately. The sadness of growing up without a father had recently been made up for.
"Dad, where are we going?"
"Let's go eat something delicious."
Eating out is a real luxury these days. Shuyin was overjoyed and went with her father to a particularly large restaurant.
Braised pork belly, spicy chicken, and spare ribs—three meat dishes she hadn't been able to eat before. Dad also ordered garlic cabbage, saying it was to cut through the richness.
"Not at all, not at all. I could eat meat every day and I'd be so happy I wouldn't get tired of it."
Sun Yaozu smiled and served her food, just like he did before he went abroad. So he ordered three out of the four dishes to be meat, so she could eat her fill.
How have your studies been lately? Are you confident about taking the college entrance exam next year?
In her past life, this girl didn't get into university. After graduating from high school, she attended night school for a year and then became a nurse at a hospital. He bought a house for her and her daughter, and she married a boy early on. So, at the hospital, the twins, who were older than her, were both single, while she was heavily pregnant and about to give birth.
"have no idea."
"It's okay, if you don't pass the exam, Dad will pay for you to study abroad."
"real?"
"real."
"Dad, you're so good to me."
He had heard this kind of talk countless times in his past life. He bought them food, clothes, houses, and cars, and she was always so happy. Her mother said she was his child, so she always called him "Dad."
"However, you need to complete the procedures in advance if you want to go abroad. You'll need to come to the hospital with me later to have some physical examinations."
"good."
Sun Shuyin had no suspicions whatsoever and ate her meal with a satisfied sigh. She went to the hospital with her father and went straight to the lab to have her blood drawn. Afterwards, her father told her to press the bleeding point and wait outside. She wondered why her father didn't go out with her.
"Daddy has something to say to the doctor. Sweetie, kids shouldn't be so curious about adult matters."
"All right."
Maybe Dad talked to the doctor, just in case there's anything she doesn't meet the requirements, they can pull some strings? Thinking this, she sat in her chair and smiled happily. Having a dad felt so good. No wonder Tangtang is so cheerful and outgoing; she's been so lucky to have a dad since she was little.
"Dad, I'm so glad you're back."
Sun Yaozu still smiled and said, "Let's go, I'll take you to buy clothes."
At the department store, I bought her another coat. There were also hair clips, scarves, and the Warrior canvas shoes she'd always wanted—whatever she wanted, her dad would buy it for her. This feeling of being able to have whatever she wanted was so captivating; she felt lightheaded on the way home.
Looking at Tangtang's house, still bustling with activity, she no longer felt envious. She exchanged a glance with Tangtang at the doorway, her gaze filled with superiority.
The liveliness in your family is thanks to your uncle, but he can't always be this good to you. My family has my dad now, and things will get better for us.
Tangtang silently rolled her eyes at her superiority complex. How come she never noticed how superficial she was before? What's the big deal? It's just new clothes. Sun Yaozu has made you so infatuated so quickly that you've even lost your true self.
"Shuyin, share your snacks with your friends. We live next door to each other, so we should stay close as best friends."
"No need." Tangtang waved her hand and left quickly. Sun Yaozu's words were terrifying. He sounded just like a big bad wolf; she had to stay away from them.
"Oh my god, that's terrifying."
Tangtang complained to her mother about this that night, and Shuyao asked her about the situation carefully. After settling her little girl away, the couple sat on the kang (a heated brick bed) and began to think about it.
"What exactly is Sun Yaozu trying to do?" Su Xiangdong, after all, didn't understand future developments and couldn't figure it out.
"Anyway, it's nothing good. I heard there's genetic testing technology abroad, maybe he wants to use Sun Shuyin to get the twins' blood or hair."
"Genetic testing?" Su Xiangdong asked curiously, "Can it detect the father-son relationship? Is it accurate?"
"I've heard it's very accurate."
She would never admit it; they had done it flawlessly, and without the aid of technology, it would be impossible to overturn.
Sun Yaozu, does he really care that much about these two children? Or perhaps he cares more about his son, He Xu. He never cherishes what he has easily obtained, and he wasn't particularly good to his son in his past life either. Now that he's lost him in this life, is he regretting it?
The two children weren't home, so Shuyao wrote them a letter the next day, telling them to be careful and destroy their hair. She warned them not to let classmates or anyone else take it. She didn't explain why, but she instructed them to be very careful.
The two were completely bewildered upon receiving the letter, not understanding what their mother meant. He Xu tilted his head and asked, "Uncle is back, why did Mom tell us this?"
He Yi frowned as well: "It shouldn't have anything to do with my uncle, right?"
"I don't know. Then, what does Mom mean by this?"
"Never mind, just listen to me, it's not like it's an impossible problem."
"Alright."
Now that Shu Chengjing had found his sister, his second task was to investigate the investment environment. He came here with work in mind and discovered that his sister was also planning to open a shop, so he immediately offered his strong support.
"Since you believe this wholesale center has great potential for future development, then of course you should take advantage of the current situation to acquire more shops. Clothing, accessories, cosmetics—I've been researching the market recently, and the clothing category is very limited, while the cosmetics category is practically nonexistent. As people's living standards improve, these women's products will inevitably account for a large proportion of consumption."
Shu Yao nodded. Nowadays, people already have a demand for eyebrow pencils and lipsticks. Young girls are starting to follow trends from Hong Kong and Taiwan television and are beginning to pursue fashion. Makeup will play an increasingly important role in women's lives over time.
"But brother, that shouldn't require five businesses, right?" Shu Yao said, both amused and exasperated. Ordinary people didn't even have the concept of business, and those who were didn't have the financial strength. "I'm just starting out, aren't you worried I'll lose money? You've set me up on such a huge undertaking all at once."
"It's alright, your older brother has faith in you. You can do it with confidence and boldness. Your second brother and I will back you up in everything."
Over the years, the Shu family's businesses have all been transferred to the two brothers, who have full authority to manage them. However, a large portion of the shares are still registered under their parents' names. It was agreed during the division of the family property that a portion was reserved for their younger sister. Now that she has been found, their parents will definitely give it to her. As for opening several shops, he and his second brother will take care of that.
With the contracts for the five shops signed, it was almost the twelfth lunar month. The Shu family elders finally arrived, and the eldest son picked them up and took them directly to his sister's place.
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