Chapter 251 Lizhan is your son

During the day, Shen Wanxue didn't dare to go forward to see the excitement, but this was the first time Li Zhaodi had returned home in more than a decade, and as soon as he returned home, he sparked such a big gossip. Everyone in the village was discussing it heatedly, and it was impossible for Shen Wanxue and Yang Qiushi to not hear anything.

Shen Wanxue was feeding the cows grass, and Yang Qiushi went to the river to fetch water for the cows. When he came back, he told Shen Wanxue about the villagers' discussions he heard by the river.

After hearing this, Shen Wanxue was stunned at first, and then she became so excited and worried that she couldn't sit still.

Although she wanted to run over immediately to confirm with Xia Juanjuan, she was worried that it would affect her and Li Zhan, so Shen Wanxue had to force herself to wait until dark.

Seeing that she was restless and was almost butted by the cow while feeding it, Yang Qiushi took over her work and let her go back to the house to rest.

Shen Wanxue went back to the house and took out from the box the new clothes she made for her son every year - this year's piece was the cotton-padded jacket that Xia Juanjuan saw a few days ago. She couldn't help crying for several times while holding it, feeling both aggrieved and happy.

When it was dark, she had no time to eat - and she didn't feel hungry either, so she ran to the backyard of Xia Juanjuan's yard with her cotton coat in her arms. However, she was afraid that her eldest sister who had just returned from her home might also be at her house, so she waited in the cold wind until now.

Xia Juanjuan grabbed Shen Wanxue's hand, shivering with fear, and asked hurriedly, "Auntie...how long have you been waiting?"

Xia Juanjuan began to blame herself. Her hands were almost frozen. She had been waiting for at least an hour!

She knew Shen Wanxue's feelings best, and she shouldn't have waited until now to go and tell Shen Wanxue about this.

Shen Wanxue quickly smiled and said, "Auntie just came a while ago and didn't wait long. Juanjuan, tell Auntie first..."

Xia Juanjuan came back to her senses and answered, "Auntie, it's all true. Let's go in first and I'll tell you slowly!"

When Shen Wanxue heard the words "It's all true", she couldn't hold back any more and burst into tears. However, when she cried, she looked like a lady from a noble family, and she didn't cry loudly, but just remained speechless.

Xia Juanjuan was frightened and said helplessly: "Auntie..."

Shen Wanxue waved her hands, afraid that she would burst into tears as soon as she opened her mouth and be heard by others. She raised her hands and kept wiping her tears, but no matter how hard she wiped, they seemed to not dry up.

Xia Juanjuan had no choice but to pull Shen Wanxue into the house.

Seeing this, Lin Yuru was also shocked and asked, "Sister Shen, what's wrong with you? This is..."

Xia Juanjuan whispered, "Mom, you take the kid to sleep first. I'll talk to Aunt Shen for a while."

After hearing this, Lin Yuru said, "That's fine. You should persuade her well. There is nothing in this world that cannot be overcome. Tell her not to hurt herself..."

Then, he took Xiaowen, Xiaowu and Beibei to bed.

There was a coal stove burning in the room where Xia Juanjuan lived. The triplets had been coaxed to sleep by Lin Yuru. When they saw their mother coming back, they all called out in a daze, "Mom... go to sleep..."

Shen Wanxue and the others also knew her. After a while, they followed suit and called out, “Grandma…”

After hearing this, Shen Wanxue couldn't help but burst into tears.

If Li Zhan is really her son, then these three little guys are her grandchildren!

"Hey! It's grandma! Yanyan, Yeye, Yaoyao, be good! Go to sleep!"

Xia Juanjuan first added some more coal into the stove to make it burn more vigorously, and then she pulled Shen Wanxue to sit in front of the stove.

Shen Wanxue then asked anxiously and worriedly: "Juanjuan, tell Auntie quickly...what did your elder sister-in-law say?"

Xia Juanjuan told Shen Wanxue everything she had heard from Li Zhaodi.

"It turns out that Liu Lan and her father-in-law met each other on the way to escape the flood and lived together. Lizhan, the second brother, was also brought by Liu Lan, and he is not a child of the Li family. In this way, the children of the Li family match the time when you, Auntie, sent your own son for adoption. Also, I asked, their mother is Liang Yunxia. The jade of the Li family, the eldest sister-in-law also said that it was a token left by Lizhan's biological parents... Auntie, all the details match! I'm afraid that Lizhan is almost certainly your son."

Shen Wanxue listened with tears in her eyes, and then asked anxiously: "Have you ever asked what the Li family's jade looks like? Is it a pair with the phoenix pendant? Also, why did they originally have the surname Li, but later changed it to Li?"

Even if it was almost right, Shen Wanxue was still afraid that the mismatch between these two points would make her end up with nothing and be disappointed.

How could it be such a coincidence that the jade was sold by Liu Lan and her son?

Shen Wanxue didn't care about the jade, but without the jade as evidence, she felt uneasy!

Xia Juanjuan looked at Shen Wanxue, then took out something wrapped in a handkerchief from her bosom and said softly, "Auntie, take a look. Is this the jade you left for the Li family back then..."

The bracelet was opened, and Shen Wanxue stared with wide eyes in astonishment at the pair of jade pendants wrapped inside.

The dragon and phoenix pendant is made of warm and moist jade and is exquisitely carved.

If it’s not the Shen family’s heirloom, then what else could it be?

"Juanjuan...this..." Shen Wanxue never thought that this dragon pendant would be in Xia Juanjuan's hands.

Xia Juanjuan said softly, "Maybe it was God's will. I also accidentally heard Li Qiang and Wang Guixiang discussing going to Beijing to sell something. I didn't pay much attention to it, but later their son and daughter let it slip that their parents were going to Beijing to sell jade, and after selling the jade, they would live in the county town and become city dwellers! Xiao Wen and Xiao Wu heard these words and came back to tell me. I paid attention to it, and when Li Qiang went to Beijing, I followed him. I didn't expect that he was really selling a dragon pendant. I saw that this jade was a pair with the jade you gave me, so I asked someone to help buy it. I didn't show up myself, so no one knew."

Xiaowen, Xiaowu and Beibei did not lie about what Lisheng said.

However, when Xiaowen and Xiaowu told her, the jade was already in her hands.

After hearing this, Shen Wanxue couldn't help but be stunned. What a coincidence! It seemed like God was really helping her find her son!

"So... Lizhan... is really my son?"

Xia Juanjuan nodded and smiled, "Auntie, I'm afraid it's true. Besides, Li Zhan told you before that his birthday was in January. I asked him later and he said that he was not old enough to serve in the army at that time, so he reported an extra year. In fact, it was the eleventh day of the eleventh month of that year."

The eleventh day of the twelfth lunar month!

Shen Wanxue will never forget this day. It's her son's birthday!

"Yes! Yes! That's right! It's all right! Fight him...it turns out she is really my son! I...I finally found my son! Zhenbang! Zhenbang...we found our son!"

Shen Wanxue cried with joy and kept lifting the corner of her clothes to wipe her tears.

Xia Juanjuan was also very sad, and hurriedly advised: "Auntie, don't be sad. This is a good thing, isn't it? I will send a telegram to Li Zhan tomorrow and ask him to come back home as soon as he is free, and we will tell him about this."

Shen Wanxue nodded repeatedly, but then immediately shook her head and said, "No... But his father and I are in this state now, so it's not possible. We still can't recognize each other, what if it affects Lizhan's future... Juanjuan, promise me not to tell Lizhan yet, okay? As long as I know that he is still alive and well, I will be satisfied. For more than 20 years, we have not fulfilled our responsibilities as parents. Now, how can we have the nerve to recognize him and drag him down?"

After hearing this, Xia Juanjuan realized that Shen Wanxue's concerns were not unreasonable.

But she still disagreed with Shen Wanxue's opinion, and said, "Auntie, I know you are afraid that your current situation will drag down Li Zhan. However, now the whole village knows that Li Zhan is not the biological son of the Li family. He must be anxious to know who his biological parents are, why they sent him to live with the Li family, and why... they didn't come back to take him back for so many years...

Auntie, if you keep it a secret from him, I'm afraid he'll be mad at us when he finds out later!"

"But..." Shen Wanxue was in a dilemma.

She really didn't want to meet her son, but she knew better than Xia Juanjuan what her situation meant. If people knew that Li Zhan was her son, Li Zhan's life would be ruined!

Xia Juanjuan grabbed Shen Wanxue's hand and said with a smile: "Auntie, you and Li Zhan can get to know each other secretly without letting others know. I believe that Li Zhan will never dislike you because of your identities."

After hearing this, Shen Wanxue nodded and said softly: "Ah! Then... Juanjuan, will you send a telegram to Lizhan tomorrow? When I telegram you, you must not tell him about this matter..."

Xia Juanjuan smiled and said, "Don't worry, Auntie, I have a plan in mind."

After saying this, Xia Juanjuan suddenly remembered and asked, "Auntie, you haven't eaten yet, right?"

Today is New Year's Eve. When eating dumplings in the evening, Xia Juanjuan had secretly asked Xiaowen to bring the dumplings to Shen Wanxue and Yang Qiushi.

But judging from Shen Wanxue's appearance, I'm afraid she didn't eat any.

"Auntie has already eaten, the dumplings you sent..."

Xia Juanjuan had already stood up and went to the kitchen. She smiled and said, "Then please accompany me to eat another bowl of dumplings. I've been talking for a long time and I'm hungry."

After a while, the dumplings were ready and brought over with the soup.

The two of them ate the hot meat dumplings while talking.

Xia Juanjuan asked: "Auntie, what is Lizhan's father's name, and where is he now?"

Shen Wanxue sighed and said, "Alas. His name is Rong Zhenbang, and he is in the northwest now. We haven't seen each other for several years. Originally, I was going to go to the northwest with him. I thought that no matter how difficult the conditions there were, it would be good for a couple to be together, at least we could take care of each other. Unexpectedly, he quietly asked someone for help, and in the end, I stayed near Beijing and he went to the northwest alone. After I heard about it, I was angry with him for a long time. But later, when I knew the place he arranged for me, I could no longer blame him..."

Xia Juanjuan also sighed and said with a smile: "Let me guess, the place he arranged for you is very likely where your child ended up?"