Yang Ziqiang's thoughts drifted back to decades ago, to when he was in teachers' college.
He was originally a young man who cared deeply about his country and its people. He often participated in youth activities, tutored the general public, and promoted the importance of reading.
It was under these circumstances that he met Ji Min, a girl from another department.
Ji Min enjoys reading and writing, and she even gave herself the pen name Minren.
After she met Yang Ziqiang, she used the pen name Minren.
Yang's ancestors were government officials, and a marriage had been arranged for him long ago; he already had a fiancée in name only.
But after meeting Ji Min, he immediately fell for her and told his family that he wanted to make his own decisions about marriage.
Back then, he was a passionate young man. After his family rejected his request, he severed ties with them and soon became intimate with Ji Min.
Unfortunately, his grandmother later fell ill, and he was forced to get married and have children, so he had to reveal that he already had a girlfriend.
It would have been better if they hadn't told her. After his family found out about his situation, they secretly went to Ji Min and told her that Yang Ziqiang was already engaged and advised her not to be delusional and marry into the Yang family.
Ji Min was a strong-willed woman, and she could not bear such humiliation, so she dropped out of school.
Yang Ziqiang later learned that she was already pregnant at the time.
After dropping out of school, she secretly found a place to have her pregnancy.
Finally, I went to a small hospital to give birth.
When Yang Ziqiang learned that Ji Min had dropped out of school, he searched for her desperately.
Unfortunately, there was no news of her until the very end, when his grandmother told him that Ji Min had died in childbirth at Jishetang Hospital, and both she and her child had perished.
He didn't believe it and even went to the hospital to look for someone.
The dean confirmed his grandmother's statement, and he was on the verge of a breakdown. In the end, he went to the countryside after graduation.
When I saw the missing father notice in the newspaper, long-forgotten memories were awakened.
Could it be that what Grandma said back then was all a lie, and that they never actually died?
"Aunt Wu, please help me contact the person mentioned in the newspaper. I need to see her."
Yang Ziqiang was excited about his idea.
Aunt Wu couldn't hide her smile either, "Okay, I'll go ask right away."
Soon, Xue Mei was taken to Yang Ziqiang's house by Aunt Wu.
After being repackaged, Xue Mei is now wearing an ordinary coat, her hair is short and straight, completely different from her previous big curly hair, and her heavy makeup has been replaced with light makeup, making her look slightly haggard.
She wanted to swindle money from Yang Ziqiang, so naturally she couldn't dress herself up too extravagantly.
Aunt Wu once said that Yang Ziqiang didn't like people who wore heavy makeup.
When Xue Mei met Yang Ziqiang, she greeted him timidly, leaving him with a good first impression.
"You say you are my daughter, what evidence do you have to prove it?" Yang Ziqiang asked, suppressing his excitement.
Xue Mei glanced at Aunt Wu and handed him a notebook.
The notebook cover was a thick piece of red paper. Aunt Wu was surprised when she saw it; she had actually produced such evidence.
Yang Ziqiang took the notebook and began to flip through it.
The title page bears a famous quote, signed by Minren.
Oh my god, it really is the person I've missed all these years.
He couldn't wait to start reading.
This notebook records her feelings when she met him, as well as details of her mother's conversation with her.
This can be considered her diary entry reflecting her feelings at the time.
It says that she loves Yang Ziqiang very much, but cannot accept the insults from his family, and would rather give up the relationship than compromise her dignity.
After she found out she was pregnant, she found a place to hide away and write articles while taking care of her pregnancy.
Unexpectedly, her essays were serialized in the newspaper, and she was filled with hope for the future.
Unfortunately, the child had to be born eventually.
She didn't dare tell her family, so she went to the hospital secretly.
With no one to take care of her, she could only ask the nurses for help.
Her diary entries came to an abrupt end before she gave birth.
“This is my mother’s diary. When my adoptive mother, Guan, took me away from Jishetang Hospital, she took this notebook with her.”
Xue Mei explained patiently.
Yang Ziqiang was certain that the notebook belonged to Ji Min; he recognized her handwriting. However, he still asked:
"What is the relationship between Dean Guan and the 'Guan Ma' you mentioned?"
Back then, he personally went to the hospital to ask the director and nurses, who all said that there was indeed a woman in labor with sensitive symptoms, but she and her child had died due to a difficult childbirth. Since they couldn't find her relatives, the hospital had to handle the funeral arrangements.
Xue Mei hesitated for a moment, then explained again:
"I only found out later that Aunt Guan was Dean Guan's daughter. Aunt Guan was infertile, so she lied and said that I died at birth, which angered my mother so much that I also died of blood and qi deficiency after giving birth to her. Aunt Guan then naturally adopted me as her daughter."
Now that I know the truth, I don't want to be deceived by Aunt Guan anymore. I want to find my father and help my mother resolve this regret.
As she spoke, tears streamed down her face, making Yang Ziqiang feel a pang of heartache.
Aunt Wu hurriedly said:
"Brother Yang, according to this, this girl is your biological daughter! Haven't you always felt guilty for abandoning them back then?"
Yang Ziqiang's expression was uncertain as he said to Xue Mei:
"According to you, you never thought of sending Guan's mother to prison, since it was her mother's relationship that led to your mother's death."
Xue Mei wiped away her tears with her sleeve, her face glowing with a saintly aura.
"But she's the one who raised me for so many years, how could I bring myself to do it? Besides, Dean Guan, the one who started this whole thing, is already dead. I can't just go against a dead person!"
"You...you can't really be my dad, can you?"
She deliberately feigned ignorance and innocence.
Yang Ziqiang nodded, "Since Aunt Guan was the nurse who took care of Minren back then, she must know Minren. Go and call her over, and I'll let her recognize her."
If I haven't mistaken, you must be my daughter.
He has only ever had a relationship with Minren in his life, so her daughter must be his daughter.
Upon hearing this, Xue Mei panicked.
This Yang Ziqiang is too shrewd; he even needs Aunt Guan to recognize him.
"I'm angry with Aunt Guan, so I've already sent her to the countryside." She quickly came up with an excuse.
Aunt Wu, fearing that Yang Ziqiang would become suspicious, quickly tried to cover for her.
"Even if she goes to the countryside, we can call her back!"
Seeing that Aunt Wu's eyes were almost blind from blinking, Xue Mei quickly said:
"Okay, I'll contact Aunt Guan right away."
After she finished speaking, Aunt Wu pushed her out.
"Let me see you out." Aunt Wu followed her out to see her off.
After they left, Yang Ziqiang continued to read through the diary, as if he wanted to engrave every word into his very bones.
He made only one mistake in his life: losing his wife and children.
He lived his whole life in repentance.
Once outside, Xue Mei angrily addressed Aunt Wu:
"That was just a made-up story. How would Aunt Guan know Minren?"
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