Chapter 76 Shanghai Fame 4 Oh my, that's truly a blessing from heaven...
When Chen Baihui returned to the city, Qiu Xiaoman was already in school, had memories, and had even seen her maternal grandmother's photo. How could she not recognize her maternal grandmother?
But she just doesn't want to admit it.
To be honest, although the old man did not offend Qiu Xiaoman, he was not necessarily a good person.
Put yourself in Qiu Xiaoman's shoes. If Qiu Xiaoman had her own daughter in the future, and her daughter got married and had children in another city, and had to leave her husband and daughter to return to the city as a single woman, then Qiu Xiaoman would definitely try to persuade her daughter to bring the child back as soon as possible. Even if her daughter didn't listen, she, as the maternal grandmother, would personally go to pick her up.
The love for one's child is a human instinct, and it is the duty of parents and grandparents to care for their children.
Therefore, Qiu Xiaoman always believed that while her parents' indifference towards her was partly due to their own problems, the elders around them were no better.
Either there's no advice or reminder, or they're happy to see it happen. Their deep-seated preference for sons makes the elders feel that, since she's a daughter, it doesn't matter whether they have her or not.
Now that she's made something of herself and is in the limelight, they finally want to acknowledge her. But she's not so shameless as to easily give in to their wishes.
Therefore, her tone was very cold and distant.
Lin Yafen could naturally sense her distance, but she still smiled and said in broken Mandarin, "Daughter, Grandma is looking for you. We've prepared a big meal at home, would you like to come back and eat with Grandma?"
Qiu Xiaoman said calmly, "Grandma, you're too kind. My mother taught me from a young age not to eat at strangers' houses. I wouldn't dare to upset my mother, but thank you anyway."
"Grandma, how can you be a stranger? Come on, little girl, all your aunts and great-aunts are waiting for you." Lin Yafen stepped forward and tried to take Qiu Xiaoman's hand.
Qiu Xiaoman took two steps back and said coldly, "Grandma, I don't know you. What else could we be but strangers? Grandma, you should go back now. I have things to do."
Lin Yafen was stunned and asked, "Nannan, didn't I send your mother photos when she was sent to the countryside? Didn't she show them to you?"
Qiu Xiaoman sneered inwardly. So what if she'd seen it? All these years, no one has brought her to the city to enjoy a life of luxury.
She said with a hint of sarcasm, "Grandma, what kind of joke are you talking about? My mother's name is Qiu Yinghe, she is a local from Yunnan, and she never cut in line. Grandma, you've mistaken me for someone else."
Lin Yafen was stunned. She recognized the name; it was Nannan's adoptive mother. It seemed that Nannan harbored resentment and did not intend to acknowledge her relatives here.
She was unwilling to give up and said again, "I recognize your mother. I often send you living expenses, but you are just a child. The recipient can only be your mother Qiu. If you don't believe me, go back and ask her if this is true."
Qiu Xiaoman frowned. She had never heard of this before.
Her adoptive parents were honest, hardworking farmers. If they were really rich, how could they not afford to treat her broken leg? It's even more impossible that they would prevent her from going to university because of money. After all, she was already in her final year of high school, just one step away from getting into university. What parents would be so foolish?
If they really didn't want her to continue her studies, they would have forced her to go out and work after she graduated from junior high school. There's no way they would have let her study for two and a half years for nothing.
She didn't believe it and scoffed, "Grandma, you're joking. My mother has never received any remittance slips. Grandma, you're old, maybe your memory isn't so good. I won't hold it against you. I have to go now."
Lin Yafen was completely dumbfounded. She hadn't received the remittance slip? How could this be?
She grabbed Qiu Xiaoman's sleeve: "Nannan, did your mother give all the money to her own children, so she lied to you?"
Qiu Xiaoman was furious. She pried Lin Yafen's hands off and said angrily, "I didn't want to say anything harsh because you're an old woman, but you actually made false accusations and slandered my mother. I will never forgive you! Get away!"
Lin Yafen staggered back two steps, unable to believe that her granddaughter could be so heartless.
Fortunately, Captain Liu also came out. She quickly stepped forward, grabbed Liu Yongqiang's hand, and asked, "Erqiang, do you know anything about this? Can you help me look into it?"
Liu Yongqiang sighed silently. What could he know? He knew nothing.
However, this is not difficult to handle; we can simply check with the post office where the money was sent.
So he asked, "Aunt Lin, do you have the remittance slip stub?"
“Yes, I have!” Lin Yafen said confidently. “Ever since Baihui came back, I’ve been sending money to her every month on time.”
Liu Yongqiang frowned and could only ask, "Did you send it yourself or had someone else deliver it?"
"I..." Lin Yafen stammered. Oh no, her husband was paralyzed on one side, so every day after buying groceries, she had to do laundry, cook, turn him over and clean him, and sometimes even help him with his bodily functions. It was very hard work, so she asked her second son's family to send the money.
Her second son and his family also helped her collect her monthly pension. For this, she specially asked the hospital to issue a certificate, the street office to write a document, the local police station to issue a certificate, and finally signed a power of attorney explaining the situation—she had to entrust her children to handle the matter on her behalf because she did not have time to go in person to take care of her paralyzed husband.
Over the years, it has been the second son and his wife who have helped with the process. Every time they transfer money, the second son's wife will give her the remittance slip to put her mind at ease.
Therefore, she simply did not believe that Qiu Yinghe had not received the money.
Now that Liu Yongqiang had asked her that question, the old woman realized that something was wrong.
The second son's brother-in-law works at the post office, could it be...?
If that's really the case, then you absolutely mustn't reveal it. Otherwise, if that kid makes a mistake at work and gets punished by his boss, his second son's wife will definitely cause trouble for her, his mother-in-law.
Lin Yafen had no choice but to abruptly end the conversation, turn away, and sigh silently.
Seeing her stammering, Liu Yongqiang had already guessed most of what was going on.
He's lived next door to her since he was a child, what doesn't he know?
Lin Yafen's grandfather was a national capitalist in the late Qing Dynasty. After the outbreak of the War of Resistance against Japan, the old man did not collude with those compradors. Instead, he donated most of his family property to support the war effort. He even supported his children in joining the army.
Later, in order to help transfer underground party members, her grandfather did not hesitate to use himself as bait, diverting the firepower used to eliminate the underground party in the wrong direction. When the Nationalist army realized what was happening, they executed her grandfather in the bustling city, making an example of him as a warning to others. His courage and integrity were truly admirable.
Left with no other choice, Lin Yafen's father had to take on the burden of supporting the family and take over the daily chemical factory.
Later, her aunt and uncle died one after another, leaving her father as the only son of her grandfather's three children.
Her father did not desert; instead, he personally brought his younger siblings' children from other places to his side and raised them together with his own children.
Fortunately, her parents were both very capable. Her father single-handedly supported the struggling daily chemical factory, while her mother led more than a dozen children from three families, hiding everywhere and waging a guerrilla war against the evil forces that were trying to eliminate the orphans of martyrs.
Therefore, Lin Yafen spent her childhood wandering around the country.
Later, after the victory of the War of Resistance against Japan and the outbreak of the War of Liberation, Lin Yafen's older sister, who studied medicine, joined the army and became a legendary female military doctor on the battlefield. After the founding of the People's Republic of China, she entered Huadong Hospital in Shanghai and is still active on the front line of teaching. She is an old expert who was rehired after retirement.
Although the second sister shared the eldest sister's ambition, her abilities were mediocre; she was always a step behind in learning everything, so she simply stayed behind to help her mother care for her younger siblings. After reaching adulthood, the second sister married a schoolteacher, which made it even easier for her to care for her younger siblings and their children—essentially a head caretaker for the Lin family. The old lady is still alive today, though her legs are a bit weak from years of hard work, and she needs a cane to walk. Fortunately, her children and grandchildren are all adults and very filial, so the old lady can now simply enjoy her retirement, reveling in her grandchildren.
This second sister is a particularly inspiring example of how diligence can make up for shortcomings and how to do as much as one is capable of.
My third sister is a bit...
The third sister, blinded by love, was probably brainwashed by the popular novels of the Mandarin Duck and Butterfly School at the time. She actually ran off with a major general, and her whereabouts are still unknown. It is said that she went to Taiwan, but the information is questionable.
My fourth sister is a remarkable woman with a deep passion for agricultural culture and a pioneering spirit. During the Anti-Japanese War, she enjoyed guiding agricultural work in the enemy-occupied base areas, improving crop yields wherever she went. After the founding of the People's Republic of China, she joined the Academy of Agricultural Sciences. She has been married and divorced, and is still alive. Because her children are all married, she lives alone. Like my eldest sister, she remains active in academia, a retired expert who has been rehired.
Lin Yafen was the fifth child. Her most striking features were her beauty and excellent academic performance. She excelled in her studies at the girls' school and stayed on as a teacher after graduation. Suitors flocked to her door, but her choice left everyone speechless.
She fell for a technician at her father's chemical factory, threw herself into the relationship, and never came out again. Now, the person lying in bed who needs her constant care is that technician.
That technician proved himself capable. After the founding of the People's Republic of China, the daily chemical factory was nationalized. Not wanting people to say that he only got a foothold because of his father-in-law's connections, he went to work as a technician at an agricultural machinery factory. Within a few years, he passed all the tests and became one of the few eighth-grade workers in Shanghai and even the whole country.
Such a family can naturally support many children, but such a father is also too proud and ambitious, so when it comes to the time when his children need to cut in line, how could he allow them to cheat or do something underhanded?
The family has several children, but apart from the eldest son who is already working and married, the others all have to go to the countryside to work.
Chen Baihui was forced to go to the countryside in this way, and she still complains about it to this day. If her father hadn't been so heartless, she could have spent a sum of money to have her cousin go to the countryside in her place, and she wouldn't have had to suffer like that.
As for Lin Yafen's two younger sisters and one younger brother, well...
Well, it's a sad story.
Here's what happened: The sixth daughter of the Lin family had been assaulted. She was a tough woman and killed the bastard on the spot. However, society is always harsh on women, so the sixth daughter faced immense public pressure and later suffered a mental breakdown, jumping into the Huangpu River.
However, the sixth sister was lucky and was rescued by a passing Taoist priest. After that, she went on a journey with the priest and her whereabouts are still unknown. It is unknown whether she is dead or alive, or whether she is married or not.
The Seventh Sister's story is quite legendary. She married a Hong Konger and settled in Hong Kong after the founding of the People's Republic of China. She only returned to visit relatives a few years ago.
Her husband passed away, leaving her and her children a huge fortune. She could have enjoyed a peaceful retirement, but her children were blinded by the allure of the world and didn't listen to her. Some went abroad to have fun, while others squandered money without any bottom line, throwing money around to support female celebrities.
Enraged, she returned and acquired some property as a precaution. She also wanted to find a reliable child among her sister's and brother's descendants to be adopted and help her manage the family business.
Because of this matter, many relatives of the Lin and Chen families became interested and would frequently come to Lin Yafen to inquire about the news.
After all, the seventh brother was the closest in age to Lin Yafen and the one she could talk to the most.
As for their youngest brother, he was mediocre and unremarkable. In short, he had a wife and children, worked in a chemical factory, and was just getting by, not starving, and still alive.
Liu Yongqiang went through Lin Yafen's family relationships in his mind, and the only suspects were her second son's family; there were no other possibilities.
He smiled and said, "Aunt Lin, this is the first time our little girl has come here. She helped the police solve a big case right away. We should take her out for a meal. We can talk about everything else later. We don't want our little girl to go hungry, what do you say?"
Lin Yafen nodded, turned her head to look at Qiu Xiaoman who had already crossed the street, and sighed helplessly.
Back home, she felt increasingly uneasy and quickly called her second son's family.
When the call connected, she hesitated. In the end, she didn't ask about the remittance. What if things got out of hand? How could the family maintain harmony then? Her grandchildren weren't all adults yet; they couldn't be without their mother's care.
She exchanged a few pleasantries with a smile and then asked, "Ah Lian, why hasn't your pension been sent over this month yet?"
The person on the other end said, "I've been busy lately, Mom. A family moved into the apartment upstairs. Their bathroom is leaking, and it's driving me crazy. I haven't had a chance to take care of it. Just wait a little while, and I'll deliver it to them when I have some free time."
Lin Yafen inquired about her grandchildren and was relieved to learn that everything was fine.
Well, the second son's family has many children, and they are all big, healthy boys. It's not A-Lian's fault for taking the money meant for Nannan's living expenses.
But how is she going to get closer to Nannan?
I was really worried and sighing when the phone rang. It was my seventh brother from Hong Kong calling.
The younger sister, full of energy, asked, "Fifth Sister, Second Sister told me that Baihui has a very successful eldest daughter. Is that true?"
"Really, Seventh Brother? Nannan helped the police solve a big case as soon as she arrived. Even Erqiang next door praised her."
“Oh my, that’s really a blessing from Father! Fifth Sister, can you let Nannan stay at home for a few more days? It’s raining heavily here, and flights are suspended. It will probably take a day or two before they resume. I’ll fly back to see Nannan then.”
"Oh dear, this...this is a bit difficult. Nannan works in Beidu and will be leaving soon."
"Oh, is that so? No problem then. I'll go to Beidu to find her. None of us sisters have any successful children. It's Fifth Sister's child who's so good. She raised such a promising girl. If Father knew this in the afterlife, he would be overjoyed."
Lin Yafen was so embarrassed that her scalp tingled. She could only give a few perfunctory replies and didn't dare to say that she hadn't recognized her child here.
After hanging up the phone, she sighed silently and went downstairs to find Chen Baihui to discuss what to do. As for the fact that the money she sent to the children was suspected of being embezzled by the second son's family, she dared not mention a word about it.
Otherwise, given Momoe's explosive temper, she would definitely have made a scene.
It's not scarcity that's the problem, but inequality.
So she simply asked, "Huihui, is there any way to persuade Nannan to come over for a meal? After all, you are her mother. If all else fails, could you take Xiaoyan to visit her?"
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Author's Note: Daddy: pronounced diadia
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