Chapter 258 Calling Mom

Li Zhan still felt somewhat awkward, but in the current situation, if he didn't speak up, Shen Wanxue would definitely think that he was still blaming them, and she would never be able to let it go.

Therefore, he glanced at Shen Wanxue and said softly: "Juanjuan has already told me about your difficulties. I... don't blame you."

Shen Wanxue stared at Li Zhan in a daze, raised her hand to wipe away her tears, and then said softly: "Alas! Zhan'er, you have suffered so much these years. Your father and I have been looking for you for a long time, but we couldn't find you... Fortunately, God has mercy on you and you are still alive..."

Li Zhan also felt a little uncomfortable. After all, he had known for more than ten years that he was not a biological son of the Li family. It would be a lie to say that he had never thought about his biological parents over and over in his mind.

Now, the truth is out.

They didn't abandon him, but they looked for him for many years but couldn't find him, so they felt sorry for them and couldn't help but sigh: "You...should have had a few more children. What if you couldn't find me, what would you do for the rest of your life?"

Shen Wanxue said quickly: "Alas... This is all because I can't get over the hurdle in my heart. Your father... He couldn't persuade me, so it became like this..."

Shen Wanxue stopped talking and glanced at Li Zhan.

Up to now, Lizhan has never called her "Mom", so she didn't dare to call them "Dad" in her heart.

Li Zhan turned away somewhat embarrassedly and asked softly, "My father...where is he now?"

Facing Shen Wanxue herself, it was difficult to call her Lizhan, but it was easier to call her that to his father who was not around.

After hearing this, Shen Wanxue's tears started falling again.

He called Zhenbang "Dad", which naturally... meant that he acknowledged her as his mother!

"Hey! Your father is in the West now. I just sent him a letter to tell him that I have found you. He will be ecstatic to hear that and to know that his son is married and has given him triplets."

The contents of the letters between them would usually be checked, so she didn't dare to write this matter explicitly in the letter. However, she still wrote a small code that only the two of them knew. When Zhenbang saw the letter, he would definitely understand!

Li Zhan nodded and said softly, "Yes. I will...find a chance to ask around and see if I can transfer him to the same place as you."

After hearing this, Shen Wanxue said quickly: "Zhan'er, don't mind our business! From now on, our relationship should be kept secret except for us and Juanjuan! If this gets out, I'm afraid your future will be affected! Your father and I are far apart, but it's okay! As long as we know that you are still alive, no matter if it's me or him, we can hold on until the day when our family can be reunited!"

Li Zhan also knew this, but he really couldn't treat his biological parents as ordinary people as before.

It was only after Shen Wanxue insisted that Li Zhan agreed.

He also talked about some personal matters, such as how Lizhan grew up over the years, whether he had ever been hungry or frozen, whether his foster parents were good to him, when he joined the army, whether he had ever been injured, etc.

Lizhan answered them one by one, reporting only the good news and not the worries.

The mother and son talked until almost midnight, and it seemed like they had endless things to say.

Fortunately, Xia Juanjuan moved out the coal stove that was originally placed in Lin Yuru's room in advance, otherwise the temperature would be low in the middle of the night. It would be okay for Li Zhan, but Shen Wanxue's body would not be able to bear it.

Even so, Shen Wanxue was shivering with cold.

Seeing that it was getting late, Shen Wanxue stood up and said reluctantly, "Ah...it's so late. I have to go back. It would be bad if someone found out that I'm not here."

Lizhan wanted to let her sleep here, but he opened his mouth but didn't say it.

What Shen Wanxue said was true. As a son, he could only watch his biological mother suffer, but he could not take her to his own house to fulfill his filial duty. He felt as if something was blocking his throat.

"You should go to bed soon." Shen Wanxue waved at Li Zhan, asking him to go back.

Li Zhan followed her out and said softly, "Mom, it's okay. It's just a few steps away. I'll take you to the room over there and come back later."

When Shen Wanxue first heard the name "Mom", her body stiffened, and then her nose felt sore and tears flowed out.

She quickly turned her head away, hiding it in the darkness, and said softly, "Oh... that's fine."

The moon on the 15th is fuller on the 16th.

Today happens to be the 16th day of the first lunar month. A bright silver disk hangs in the dark blue sky, casting a silver glow over the earth.

The two of them walked quietly through the secluded path from the back door to Shen Wanxue's cabin.

Shen Wanxue turned around and smiled, "Go back. Don't freeze."

Li Zhan nodded and said softly, "You go in first. I'll go back later."

Shen Wanxue had no choice but to go into the house first, and Li Zhan then turned around and went back.

Xia Juanjuan coaxed the triplets to sleep, but she herself couldn't sleep because she was worried about Li Zhan and Shen Wanxue.

It was only when he heard Li Zhan and Shen Wanxue left together that he was stunned for a while.

Li Zhan took off the cotton-padded clothes made by Shen Wanxue, tiptoed to lift the quilt and got into bed.

The cold wind and the chill from Li Zhan's body woke Xia Juanjuan up. She turned around and asked softly, "Have you reached an agreement with Aunt Shen?"

Li Zhan hugged Xia Juanjuan from behind and said softly, "Yeah."

Xia Juanjuan smiled and said, "Then I will...follow you and call her 'Mom', right?"

Li Zhan hugged her tighter and whispered again, "Yes. But...if there's someone else around, you should still call her Aunt Shen."

Xia Juanjuan understood what Li Zhan meant. This was something she and Shen Wanxue had discussed before.

In order to fight harder, they can only recognize each other in private. In public, they still have to pretend that they have nothing to do with each other.

Xia Juanjuan nodded and said softly, "Yes. I know."

Then he couldn't help asking, "What about Liu Lan and Li Qiang, as well as your third brother Li Jie, and your eldest sister Li Zhaodi? What are you going to do?"

Li Zhan pondered for a moment before speaking, "As for Third Brother, we are still brothers, no different from before. As for Eldest Sister, we finally got news again. As long as she is still willing to be a relative of ours, she will still be the Eldest Sister. As for Liu Lan and Li Qiang, it's OK for Li Qiang to get along with her on the surface. As for Liu Lan, I want to discuss it with Third Brother to see how to deal with it.

In the past, I thought that although she was not my biological mother, she was the biological mother of my third brother and eldest brother and sister, and the mistress of the Li family. Since she raised me, it was my responsibility to take care of her and my father in their old age. But now, there are so many reasons behind this. It is not possible for me and my third brother to be the scapegoats, giving her money and work points every month, while her biological son ignores her. "

Xia Juanjuan listened, nodded, and said: "Well, that's good. And..."

Xia Juanjuan continued, "After Third Brother found out that you were not from the Li family, he mentioned it to me and said that he wanted to take Xiaowen, Xiaowu and Beibei back to raise them. I told him at the time that I couldn't decide and that I had to wait until you came back. You have an idea in your mind, and he might bring it up when the time comes."

Li Zhan was silent for a while after hearing this, and then he said softly: "Well... Juanjuan, what do you mean?"

Xia Juanjuan sighed and said, "What I mean is, we have raised three siblings for such a long time, and our family doesn't need a few more mouths to feed them. If possible, they would like to stay in our house and continue to be raised.

The third brother and his wife just gave birth to their fourth child a few years ago, and the family was struggling financially. They relied on Lijie, a strong laborer, to earn work points. If they had given Xiaowen, Xiaowu and Beibei to them, their lives would have certainly become even more difficult.

Also, Xiaowen, Xiaowu and Beibei are very sensitive because their father died and their mother didn't want them anymore. If we don't raise them because they have no blood relationship with us, they will be sad and go astray...

However, they are your eldest brother’s blood after all. If Li Jie wants to keep the blood of the Li family in the Li family… then, it is difficult for us to refuse…”

When Li Zhan heard that Xia Juanjuan knew the truth but was still willing to raise Xiaowen and his two siblings, he was moved. He rubbed his chin in Xia Juanjuan's neck and said with a smile:

"Juanjuan, I feel relieved after hearing what you said. I also want everything to remain the same. We are not going to sever ties with the Li family, there is no reason to make it like this. Don't worry, I will go talk to my third brother."

The two talked about other things. After going through so many big things that day, they were both exhausted and didn't say anything else the whole night.

The next day, Xia Juanjuan woke up and found that Li Zhan had already gotten up.

She was not panicked and guessed that Lizhan had probably gone to the mountains to hunt.

Li Zhan felt very ashamed that he went into the mountains yesterday with a heavy heart and ended up only bringing back a wild rabbit.

So, I guess we went hunting wild boars today.

Xia Juanjuan was not afraid that he would not be able to catch her.

Firstly, it was because Lizhan already had superb hunting skills, and on the other hand, she had just released some wild animals into the mountains, making them easier to catch.

Sure enough, within a short while, Li Zhan returned to the village and asked Secretary Zhao and the village cadres to find a few strong men to go into the mountains to carry the wild boar.

This was a wild boar weighing at least 300 kilograms. Naturally, the villagers were delighted to distribute the wild boar meat, and each family received 7 or 8 kilograms.

The wild boar was hunted by Li Zhan, so this time the offal and four pig trotters were all given to Li Zhan's family. The others also thought it was reasonable. They didn't do anything and they still had wild boar meat to eat. What else could they be dissatisfied about?

Xia Juanjuan brined the pig offal she brought back with brine, making a fragrant pot. In the evening, she sent some to Shen Wanxue and Yang Qiushi.

This time, when no one was around, Xia Juanjuan secretly called out, "Aunt Shen... I've discussed this with Li Zhan. From now on... when there are no outsiders around, I will secretly ask you to call me 'Mom'. Do you think it's okay?"

Shen Wanxue couldn't help but be delighted when she heard this, and said, "Why not? In my heart, you are already my daughter!"

Xia Juanjuan smiled and called softly, "Mom."