In the Beijing Military Region compound, many people in the compound had heard for the past two days that the old lady of the Cheng family was in poor health and had been rushed to the hospital that night. Cheng Siyu, the Cheng family's youngest son, and his wife hurried back to Beijing from the CD Military Region. Cheng Ruzhu, the Cheng family's daughter, stayed by her bedside day and night, not even leaving the hospital.
After discussing with each other, several families sent representatives to visit the hospital. Seeing Old Mrs. Cheng lying on the hospital bed, she had a rosy complexion, although she looked a little haggard and worried. When they heard the doctor say that she was fine, they cheered and said, "As long as she is fine, she is fine."
Old Mrs. Cheng was generous and helpful, never discriminating against others. Despite her high position, she often helped soldiers and their wives solve problems. Every household in the compound was happy to ask her for help and listen to her talk, no matter what they had to do.
The old lady was highly educated and considerate. When she encountered illiterate wives from the countryside who came to her house for help and couldn't read or reply to letters, she would be considerate of them. She would take them to her study, close the door, and patiently solve their problems one by one, never spreading the news to others.
She was kindhearted. If she saw someone's parents were not home, she would take the children to her house to eat and sleep, regardless of whether she knew them or not. She would also post a note on the door to remind them to rest at Cheng's house in the big courtyard or the small courtyard. If a military wife was in confinement and there was no one from her hometown to take care of her, she would go there in person to give detailed instructions.
The old lady was a quiet person, never gossiping. When she heard gossip, she would urge everyone to stay out of it, and she herself would not gossip. Such an elder was like family to the military wives. Everyone was delighted to hear that the old lady was in good health.
Mr. Cheng was busy investigating during the day and would rush back to the hospital at night to talk to the old lady about the progress. After three consecutive days of searching for information about Zhou Xiaozheng's mother, Mrs. Zhou, he began to make some progress.
Finally, they found the military hospital where Old Lady Zhou had originally worked. However, much time had passed; the original military hospital had been merged several times since liberation and was now reorganized into a health and medical institution. Most of Old Lady Zhou's colleagues had left the hospital due to the war and chaos, either passing away or retiring, and a succession of staff members had been replaced. Detailed records no longer existed. To retrieve proof of Zhou Xiaozheng's birth in this hospital, Old Lady Cheng, after much effort and many twists and turns, finally tracked down the surviving nurse.
Mr. Cheng got the woman's address and excitedly went over with gifts. Finally, he met the 80-year-old woman, who was hard of hearing but mentally alert. After much effort, he explained that she had left the military hospital and transferred to the General Hospital around the time Mrs. Zhou gave birth to her daughter. They hadn't been in touch since then, and their relationship was casual, just a passing acquaintance. In an effort to understand more about the circumstances, the woman struggled to recall them, but ultimately shook her head. Mr. Cheng left disappointed.
Back in the ward at night, Mrs. Cheng looked at her husband's face and sighed in disappointment, "Let's continue investigating. Don't despair yet. Now at least we have a target. My sister and brother-in-law will bless us to find the child."
Old Cheng rubbed his temples tiredly. "There's really no other way. We can only look for retired or resigned doctors. There aren't many of those doctors left in Beijing. Many of them retired and returned to their hometowns. I don't know if they're still alive."
Mrs. Cheng looked at her husband guiltily, "You're old now, and you seem quite tired these days. Why don't you let the eldest take over?"
"No, if we rush in, we'll have to start all over again. I don't have time for that. Besides, I'm worried about spreading the news. We have to get the kid's consent before we can discuss this. I have a feeling Zhou Xiaozheng must be the kid. If I can't find him, I plan to go to the Northeast myself and look for his parents."
"How many days of vacation does Zhou Xiaozheng have this time? Do you know how long he plans to stay in Northeast China?"
Elder Cheng nodded. "I've already asked around. It just so happens that a military plane from the military region is heading to Northeast China in a few days, and Zhou Xiaozheng will still be there. Regardless of whether we can find out or not, we have to go this time. Unless we're absolutely certain that Zhou Xiaozheng isn't that kid. But I've been looking through Zhou Xiaozheng's records from his youth, and the more I read, the more confused I become. A child like him couldn't be raised by an ordinary family; it can only be attributed to good genes. But then again, Zhou Jiaren and his wife aren't particularly intelligent; they couldn't possibly have raised someone like Zhou Xiaozheng."
Furthermore, I contacted Fang Fei from the Fang family and indirectly learned about Zhou Xiaozheng's daughter, Zhou Jiao. It's said that this girl doesn't look like a country girl at all. She looks about 50% like Gu Ruyi from the Lin family. She's scheming, resourceful, and extremely intelligent. She remained calm and composed in the presence of over a thousand people, and her speech was even more powerful than Gu Ruyi's. I thought of my eldest sister, and of what Old Lin said about her possibly having a photographic memory. It's definitely hereditary. That girl, like my brother-in-law, knew the Three Character Classic and the Thousand Character Classic by the age of three, and by the age of eight, she had mastered her grandmother's unique skills: medicine and embroidery. Is that possible for an ordinary person?
Old Mrs. Cheng was in a hurry to get up. "I think I'm fine too. I'd better go home and pack my things first. We don't have to hesitate any longer. I'll ask Zhou Jiaren directly. Do you remember how to write the word 'Ren'? These past few days, I've recalled my sister's tone. She must have left the child with the Zhou family. There's no way the Gu family would have. The child is the only heir to the main house. If he went to the Gu family, he would be swallowed up. I didn't know that the Zhou family's ancestral land was in the Northeast, but my brother-in-law must have said so. Eldest sister, just entrust the child to the clan leader. This is the best thing for the child. After all, the Zhou family's glory depends on my brother-in-law's lineage. As for handing the child over to Zhou Jiaren, it must be a problem with the clan leader. We went to the Northeast and directly found the Zhou family leader. There should be a record. My sister always has a backup plan for everything. It's impossible for her not to consider everything. There are always contingencies and accidents."
Elder Cheng held her down. "You lie down first. I'll ask the doctor if you're fit to go out. We'll also prepare to bring a doctor. There's still time before the military plane takes off. What you said is very likely. I'll continue the investigation just in case."
"That's fine. Well, you'll have to worry about it for the next two days. Now that this matter is over, we have no regrets."
The next morning, Mr. Cheng woke up early, packed up, waited for his children to arrive, completed the discharge paperwork, and returned home with his wife. He then investigated and searched for retired or resigned doctors. However, they were elderly, and many had returned to their hometowns to retire. The only doctor who had worked in the same department as Mrs. Zhou when she was younger was now retired and living in the south. No matter how urgent it was, he couldn't rush there immediately. He had to ask a trusted confidant to go south and meet the elderly doctor to see if he could recall whether Mrs. Zhou had a third pregnancy and which hospital she had given birth in.
He was busy, worried about his wife and anxiously searching for someone with inside information. Seeing that there was still no news from the south, his wife reminded him that he should be able to see Zhou Xiaozheng. He could talk to Zhou Xiaozheng face to face.
When Old Cheng regained consciousness, he dropped his duties and inquired at the military headquarters, finding out that everyone had returned home the previous day. He didn't care that he wasn't already off duty, so he headed straight to the family compound to look for Lin Lishan. He found Lin Lishan's old house, but the door was closed. Neighbors said Zhou Xiaozheng and his wife had only hurried over, taken notes, and left again. He hadn't been home the previous night, so he must have gone to the Lin family's house.
Mr. Cheng suddenly realized that he had been extremely busy these days and went straight to the hospital to accompany his wife after get off work. He really had no idea what was going on in the compound these days.
Xiao Chen drove him to the military compound and rushed to the Lin family, but the result was disappointing again. Old Mrs. Lin said that Zhou Xiaozheng was anxious to go back to see his daughter, and the couple took the midnight train last night.
Cheng Lao was helpless. It was already afternoon and he couldn't catch up. He could only wait for a letter from the south and try to find another way to see if there were other people who knew the truth.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
