Xu Ningyan remained silent, and Xiong Mingxia, at a loss, looked around but dared not utter a sound.
The only sound inside the house was Aunt Xie's breathing.
After a while, Aunt Xie mustered some strength before speaking again: "My son Changfeng is really dead? Siya, I don't believe what others say, I only believe what you say! Tell me, how exactly did my son die? He was perfectly fine, a deputy regimental commander in the army, how could he become a spy? I don't believe it!"
Xiong Mingxia hesitated, as she initially didn't believe it either.
But firstly, it was said by a soldier in my brother's unit, so how could it be false?
Secondly, these past few days, she's been unable to sleep at night, constantly thinking about what the people from the army who came to handle her brother's funeral said. She keeps recalling the younger version of her brother and comparing it to the one she remembers later.
Then she recalled what the soldiers said about the year her younger brother died. It was during a visit home that she learned that she and Quan Dajiang were not doing well after their marriage, and that's when she said those heartless and cruel words.
The soldiers didn't explain in detail that Xu Changfeng had a big argument with them because of her, and then he was killed after receiving orders.
Moreover, strictly speaking, Xu Changfeng's cause of death was related to Xiong Mingxia's in-laws.
If it weren't for the entire Jiang family spreading rumors and not keeping their mouths shut, the Meng family wouldn't have been able to set up a trap specifically targeting Xu Changfeng so quickly and succeed.
Although Xu Changfeng may be targeted by the Meng family again in the future, his death was indeed related to the entire Jiang family.
The military personnel knew that Quan Dajiang's family hadn't done it on purpose, and besides, they were Xu Changfeng's brother-in-law's family, so how could they really pursue the matter? If Xu Changfeng's sister knew the truth, how would she get along with her family in the future?
Even if she is Xu Changfeng's sister, how can she face her own mother, Aunt Xie? If a rift develops between mother and daughter, who will take care of Aunt Xie?
Therefore, it was left ambiguous.
Therefore, Xiong Mingxia also felt that, given the relationship between her and Xu Changfeng, who was her younger brother whom she had raised on her back, how could he be so heartless to her?
Could it be that the younger brother at that time was no longer his own younger brother?
After my younger brother left that time, he rarely came back and became estranged from the family!
Otherwise, given the relationship between her younger brother and her, why would he abandon his own sister?
Xiong Mingxia firmly believed this, though perhaps deep down she didn't believe it, but she didn't dare to delve into the truth of what happened back then.
Otherwise, she should have let Quan Dajiang and the children stay here to help take care of their biological mother.
But she found an excuse to have Quan Dajiang take the children back to their own few small houses.
Quan Dajiang probably guessed something from the situation, which is why he left silently with the child.
Xiong Mingxia was afraid she couldn't bear the truth! She also knew that the person was dead, and the truth was no longer important; what mattered was the living, and life had to go on! So she hoped this matter would end quickly!
These days, she had tried to persuade her own mother to trust the army and let Xu Changfeng be laid to rest as soon as possible.
Aunt Xie, who was usually easy to talk to and rarely contradicted her, was very stubborn this time.
She didn't believe the military's explanation and felt there was definitely something fishy going on!
At this moment, he stared intently at Xu Ningyan, his cloudy eyes fixed on every expression on Xu Ningyan's face.
Xu Ningyan remained calm, looking directly into Aunt Xie's eyes without flinching: "The one who exposed that the current Xu Changfeng is not the real Xu Changfeng is not me! It is his good wife Wu Hongqin! In her words, it was when we were chatting during our trip back to Tuanjie Brigade that she heard Xu Changfeng had a birthmark on his butt."
"But as Xu Changfeng's wife and his closest relative, she became suspicious when she discovered that Xu Changfeng didn't have a birthmark on his buttocks at all. Later, when they lived together, she discovered even more things that were not right!"
"Of course, if this fake Xu Changfeng could continue to give Wu Hongqin a good life, Wu Hongqin wouldn't expose him! But Xu Changfeng was unlucky. It just so happened that someone in the military region had abused the orphans and widows of martyrs. This was brought to the attention of the military region leaders, who were furious and wanted to thoroughly investigate whether the widows, orphans, and families of martyrs who sacrificed their lives over the years had been abused or bullied."
"The fake Xu Changfeng abused me for so many years and colluded with Wu Hongqin to embezzle the pension and allowance that should have been mine. Naturally, I couldn't escape it! When Wu Hongqin saw that things were not going well, she decisively reported the fake Xu Changfeng! Only then did she learn that the real Xu Changfeng, your son, came back to visit his family back then, but because some people outside were spreading rumors about how great Xu Changfeng was in the army and how he would benefit from it in the future."
"The local spies overheard this and set a trap for him. The real Xu Changfeng, your own son, fell into the trap and died nineteen years ago! That's the truth! Believe it or not, that's how it happened!"
Xu Ningyan didn't embellish the story; she simply told Aunt Xie the truth.
When Xiong Mingxia heard that some people were spreading rumors outside, her face turned pale and her hands and feet trembled uncontrollably. She didn't dare to look at Aunt Xie's face.
Aunt Xie was breathing rapidly, her hands gripping the mattress tightly beneath her, her face flushed, and her voice shrill: "Wu Hongqin! It's all that bitch's fault! It's all her fault! Since she noticed something was wrong so early on, why didn't she report it?"
His eyes were brimming with hatred, almost bleeding from them.
If Wu Hongqin herself were present, Aunt Xie would probably have torn her apart alive.
Xu Ningyan felt that Aunt Xie's focus was a bit off, and couldn't help but add, "Instead of hating Wu Hongqin, you should hate that spy who pretended to be your son! If it weren't for their elaborate trap, Comrade Xu Changfeng might not have gotten into trouble!"
After saying that, Xu Ningyan asked a question she had wanted to ask for a long time: "And don't you hate yourselves? Don't you think there's something wrong with yourselves? It's one thing to be with others, but your own son and brother, suddenly replaced by someone else, didn't you really notice anything amiss?"
"Even if the fake Xu Changfeng had meticulously investigated Comrade Xu Changfeng's background and tried his best to imitate him, could he really be without any flaws?"
That was a fatal blow!
Aunt Xie and Xiong Mingxia both changed their expressions.
How could there not be?
Xu Changfeng didn't return for several years afterward, becoming distant. Apart from sending monthly remittance slips, he never wrote back, and would only send a telegram if necessary.
At first, they could comfort themselves by saying that Xu Changfeng was busy in the army and couldn't get away, and that he was also angry.
Besides, haven't you been sending money on time every month? You're just being stubborn and soft-hearted!
But then, Xu Changfeng came back! When they saw him at that moment, did they really not feel any sense of unfamiliarity or distance?
Yes, there were some! But they still overlooked them! They comforted themselves, saying that after so many years away from home, the military had changed them, making them more mature.
However, when the fake Xu Changfeng ate the dishes that Xu Changfeng used to dislike without any apparent change in expression, they were suspicious!
He was simply brushed off with a simple "I'm getting old, and my tastes have changed."
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